WASHINGTON – April 3, 2011 – New Bedford Mayor Scott Lang will bring his Oceans and Fisheries Council to the United States Capitol on Tuesday. The Council has been a galvanizing force in the push by New England fishermen and lawmakers to shed light on what they view as biased rule-making, not based on the best science, which has caused economic harm to fishermen from Maine to North Carolina.
Dr. Brian Rothschild, Dean Emeritus of the University of Massachusetts School for Marine Science, is chairman of the Mayor's Council. The meeting will be held at 4 p.m. on Tuesday in Room SC-6 of the United States Capitol.
Mayor Lang, whose city, New Bedford is the largest seaport in New England and the #1 fishing port in the country, will be joined by Mayor Carolyn Kirk of Gloucester, the oldest seaport in New England and the #11 port in the nation. The cities of New Bedford and Gloucester are currently suing the Secretary of Commerce and the Administrator of NOAA in Federal Court over the development and implementation of current regulations.
New England Fishermen have raised concerns for several years about mismanagment at NOAA. At a Senate hearing last month, Maine Senator Olympia Snowe commented, "The Department of Commerce’s Inspector General Report issued roughly a year ago, and the CBS News investigative report last month, revealed federal enforcement officials as reckless and vindictive rather than the trusted, honest, and efficient public servants that the complex management of critical fisheries stocks requires."
Senators John Kerry and Scott Brown and Congressman Barney Frank of Massachusetts and Senator Kay Hagen and Congressman Walter Jones of North Carolina are expected to speak at the meeting. Other Senators and Congressmen are expected and may also address the Council.
The meeting is open to industry members and other interested parties. Those wishing to attend are asked to RSVP to Dr. Rothschild at the address below.
The meeting is open to press. Members of the press who are interested in attending are also asked to RSVP.
Please respond by close of business on Monday to:
Brian J. Rothschild
Montgomery Charter Professor of Marine Science and Technology
School for Marine Science and Technology
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
706 South Rodney French Boulevard
New Bedford, MA 02744-1221 USA
Tel: 508-910-6382
Email: brothschild@umassd.edu
Read an overview about the Mayor's Oceans and Fisheries Council