There may have been a time that the appointment of a new D.C.-based National Marine Fisheries Service chief would not have carried a lot of direct interest or impact on Gloucester’s fishing fleet.
But given the gap of trust that still exists between NMFS and New England’s fishermen — and given new National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration chief Jane Lubchenco’s stated commitment to mending NOOA’s and NMFS’ admittedly "dysfunctional" relationship with the New England fishing industry — all eyes should indeed be on Lubchenco’s selection of a new NMFS chief administrator to succeed acting fisheries chief Jim Balsiger, who has tried to reach out to fishermen and others within the industry in recent months, including through his biweekly columns in the Times.
Lubchenco appears to have a clear choice between former Alaska fishermen and ex-Northern Pacific Fisheries Management Council member Arne Fuglvog and UMass-Dartmouth marine scientist Brian Rothschild, who has worked closely with the New England Council.
Read the complete story at The Gloucester Times.