Gloucester, Massachusetts – State Senate Assistant Minority Leader Bruce Tarr (R-Gloucester) and State Representative Ann-Margaret Ferrante (D-Gloucester) are calling upon Massachusetts fisheries stakeholders to join together to forge a unified message at a February 17th workshop to plan for a national fishing protest in Washington, D.C. on February 24th. Tarr and Ferrante, who co-chair the Fisheries Subcommittee of the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture, are seeking to maximize Massachusetts’ impact on an event that will likely draw national attention to fishery management issues ranging from enforcement to science to the socio-economic impact of catch shares. They plan an informative, inclusive discussion that will allow for the exchange of ideas and the development of common themes that can be carried to Washington.
The legislators maintain that Massachusetts, with its major ports of Gloucester, Boston and New Bedford, and several small ports, is a leader in New England and deserves a major voice in the Washington protest. They are inviting representatives from those ports to the workshop.
The workshop will be conducted from 6-8:00pm at the Annisquam River Station of the Division of Marine Fisheries at 30 Emerson Avenue in Gloucester. More information is available by calling Troy Wall at (617) 722-1600.