Rockport fisherman Bill Lee's decision to bow out of the industry may not seem like the biggest commercial fishing news of the day, week, or year. It may, however, be the most telling.
The word that Lee, longtime captain of the Ocean Reporter and — perhaps more importantly, a fierce defender of fishermen's rights — has sold his permits and bowed out of the industry to cover a $19,000 settlement for a questionable National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration violation should cry out loud and clear to our federal legislators of the need for drastic changes in the way that NOAA and its enforcers do business.
He was one of the first to come forward and legitimately cry foul over the outrageous tactics used by Coast Guard enforcement agents on NOAA's behalf, a step that helped spawn an ongoing Inspector General's Office probe into heavy-handed tactics by NOAA and its National Marine Fisheries Services.