In one of his first acts since Tuesday's election triumph, Gov. Deval Patrick on Friday supplied U.S. Secretary of Commerce with a detailed report making the case for his requested bailout for the groundfish industry in Massachusetts.
Gary F. Locke recently showed a willingness to consider issuing emergency regulations to revise catch limits for common groundfish species, if it could be demonstrated that current regulations are causing economic harm to fishing communities.
At the same time, the secretary asked for proof that increasing catches would not damage fish stocks.
Patrick's letter asks the secretary to "move expeditiously to protect the economic viability of our fishing ports." The report presents justification for increasing catch limits by 30 percent for most species and more for some others.
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