Mayor Carolyn Kirk will host a focus group discussion this afternoon for fishermen and others to discuss the message the mayor and others should take to the national "United We Fish" rally in Washington, D.C. on Feb. 24.
The meeting begins at 3 p.m. on the lower level of Cruiseport.
National organizers of the event, which is expected to draw between 2,000-3,000 fishermen and supporters from as far away as Oregon and Alaska, with the majority busing in from ports along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, have attempted to simplify the message to focus on the need for Congress to modify the Magnuson-Stevens Act.
The primary target of the demonstration organizers is the hard deadlines for the completed recovery of the stocks, which in the groundfishery has meant catch limits that are lower than the industry and scientific supporters believe necessary.