December 8, 2017 — NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — In a meeting with one of NOAA’s top administrators in Washington D.C, Mayor Jon Mitchell made his case for easing recent sanctions that he said are harming fishermen and city businesses.
“It’s all sort of related,” Mitchell said. “The idea is that these matters should be wrapped up. I pledged to continue to bring the parties together in however I can, as I have been doing for some time now.”
New Bedford’s mayor met with Assistant Administrator of NOAA Chris Oliver on Tuesday as part of a two-day trip to the nation’s capital.
The fishermen out of work due to NOAA’s groundfish ban for Rafael’s vessels sat atop his agenda. When NOAA made its announcement on Nov. 20, Mitchell strongly condemned the decision saying it will affect innocent third parties.
It was a similar argument Mitchell conveyed in a letter to Oliver’s predecessor in June suggesting the best tool to use against Rafael was a global settlement.
Mitchell advocated for a global settlement because he’s said it would remove Rafael from the industry and prevent him from profiting from a prison cell. It would also keep the vessels in New Bedford.
Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard Times