As if on cue, the rains vanished, the sun came out and a flotilla of fishing boats arrived from points north and west at the mouth of Vineyard Haven harbor Thursday to execute a flawless demonstration of seamanship for the national news media and President Obama.
And while the president was playing golf during the midday exercise, Boston and Providence TV news crews were among those on board the lead fishing boat in a demonstration designed to spread the word of New England fishermen's plight.
The nub of the dispute centers on the administration's push to carry out tight catch allocations tied to stock data that is facing a growing number of questions — all under a new federally-backed economic system that encourages fishermen to buy, sell or trade catch shares and their permits.
Jane Lubchenco, head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, has acknowledged that the catch-share policy will ensure that a "significant fraction" of the small independent boats are driven out of business.
Read the complete story from The Gloucester Times.