The recent ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Rya Zobel essentially shooting down challenges to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's implementation of Amendment 16 and its catch-share program was disappointing, to say the least.
But in generally upholding the regulatory scheme that now rules New England fisheries, Judge Zobel has thrown the ball into the courts of our congressional lawmakers. And that may be a good thing.
Certainly Sens. John Kerry and Scott Brown, and Congressmen John Tierney and Barney Frank, among others, can't be happy about Zobel's decision (Kerry is already pushing an appeal to overturn it). But the judge's ruling simply suggests the amendment does not cross the lines of the Magnuson-Stevens Act, and the latter can be changed by legislative fiat.
Read the complete editorial from The Salem News.