No concrete solutions emerged from the first ever Northeast Fisheries Summit held Monday at the Whaling City, but fishermen, legislators and regulators cast their nets for open dialogue hoping to assure the sustainability of the fishing industry of New England.
Eric Schwaab, the newly appointed Assistant Administrator for Fisheries with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) who was sitting quietly in the front row of the standing-room only Whaling Museum auditorium, heard speaker after speaker voice concerns about the new fishing rules that will take effect May 1.
Many warned that new fisheries management system, which will divide fishermen into "sectors" and require them to combine and manage their catch allotments among themselves, will put many out of business.
"Fifty percent of you will be out of business by August," said Carlos Rafael, who owns numerous fishing boats in the Port of New Bedford and was part of a panel discussion. "That's not what you want to hear, but that's what you're going to get."