Glen Libby said Jan. 28 that there was extensive debate about scallop regulation at the January meeting of the New England Fishery Management Council. Libby serves on the council.
Libby said he was concerned about the precedent set by the reversal, and he voted against the change.
"The much advertised loss of income in the press and from Capitol Hill was somewhat misleading," Libby said. "It was calculated using a simple deduction of days at sea from [2009], using that multiplier based on last year's income to extrapolate a figure of loss. In reality the fleet was expected to go well over this number and the loss would most likely have been considerably less than advertised."
Libby said the new catch rate of 24 percent still represented a reduction in both days at sea and closed area trips.
"The industry did accept a cutback, just not the one originally settled on," he said. "It should also be noted that the scallop industry has become very proactive when it comes to preserving the resource; they deserve credit for this."