The casualties in the Northeast fishing industry continued to mount even as New Bedford's fishery council made its case directly to members of Congress Tuesday.
The shutdown of NORPEL, a herring and mackerel fishing and processing company in New Bedford, meant nearly 120 layoffs on the waterfront and, when the news of it was announced during the two-hour meeting, it became a perfect example of the struggle that the council is telling Congress about.
The unusual session, in which citizens conducted a meeting within the walls of the Capitol with members of Congress as invited guests, was the culmination of an intense year of lobbying, meetings, lawsuits, hearings and, in general, disappointment and frustration.
Robert Vanasse, who heads SavingSeafood.org, a fishing industry advocacy website, said those who traveled to Washington, D.C., for the hearing were struck by how far they have come in the past year or two.
Then they practically begged Congress for attention, said Vanasse.
Kerry himself brought news that he and Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., are asking Commerce Secretary Gary Locke to allow a greater amount of unmet quota (10 percent is allowed now) to roll over into the new fishing season, which starts May 1, so that fishermen can earn more while still working within the quotas.
"Our fishermen are in desperate need of help, and the future of our fisheries depends on it," Kerry said in a prepared statement. "I've brought our case directly to Secretary Locke and (NOAA) Administrator (Jane) Lubchenco and we've seen some progress in the past few weeks.
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