February 4, 2024 — Mayor Jon Mitchell has penned a letter he hopes will help New Bedford lobstermen not feel the pinch come this summer.
Mitchell sent a letter today to Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission Executive Director Robert Beal pushing for the repeal of Addendum XXVII to the ASMFC’s lobster fishery management plan, which is set to take effect in July and will limit the catch size of lobsters.
“As Mayor of America’s top commercial fishing port, I write to urge the ASMFC to repeal Addendum XXVII concerning lobster gauge size,” Mitchell wrote.
“I submit that the ASMFC should listen to lobstermen and work with them on alternatives that would be far less draconian and far more effective at sustaining the fishery and the fishermen in the long term,” he wrote.