Secretary Locke, a bureaucrat, not a marine scientist, appears to be more adept at avoiding and postponing decisions than he is at solving problems.
NEW BEDFORD, Mass. – February 06, 2011 – Since Commerce Secretary Gary Locke appears unwilling to listen to anyone else, maybe he'll listen to his boss.
President Barack Obama needs to set things right in the Northeast fishery.
Locke is out of step with the requirements of more than one federal regulation, and the president needs to point him back to the facts that affect the fishery and instruct him to reverse his decisions before any more harm is done.
Mayors, governors, members of Congress, fishermen, advocates, businessmen, scientists and academics have shown that current regulations harm fishermen and fishing communities, but none of it has moved Locke.
Gov. Deval Patrick last fall asked Locke for more opportunity for fishermen to have their voices heard; an increase in catch limits; a faster response to requests for stock assessment; and direct economic assistance for struggling fishing families. He accompanied his request with an expert report supporting his case.
Locke responded by saying scientific reinterpretations of previous data by experts in the field were not acceptable, and that Patrick's request for aid to families wasn't supported by the report.
Patrick has now called on President Obama to take control of the situation, because the stubbornness displayed by Locke's Department of Commerce has done nothing but increase the pressure on the industry and people trying to make a living.
Read the complete editorial from The Standard Times.