A day after hotly disputed cuts to the Atlantic scallop catch were revoked, the head of the council that made the decision said reform is urgently needed to remove any hint that its actions are tainted by politics.
New England Fishery Management Council chairman John Pappalardo said Thursday that the council must provide a way to protest its decisions, so that the heavy political pressure applied in the scallop case isn't the only option for people who disagree.
Some environmentalists said the council chose politics over science Wednesday when it restored a 22 percent cut in scallopers' fishing days.
Pappalardo denied that, but said, "If we don't do our work to set up a process if there's a grievance … we do run the risk of being challenged again on this."