It was in February 2010 that up to 5,000 independent commercial and recreational fishermen, backed by various state and federal lawmakers, turned out for an unprecedented show of allied strength on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol for what became known as the United We Fish rally.
And in the 20 months since that day, a lot of issues have come to light regarding the fishing industry and our own federal government's heavy-handed means of regulating it under National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration chief Jane Lubchenco.
Just days after that rally, we heard damning testimony at congressional hearings from Gloucester to Washington on excessive NOAA enforcement tactics documented by the Commerce Department's Inspector General's office — offenses so severe that, by this past summer, they prompted a Cabinet-level apology from the feds and reparations to fishermen and waterfront businesses.
We have also seen congressional votes to put the clamps on any new expansion of Lubchenco's beloved catch-share management program, which has triggered a commodities market based on fishermen's catch allocations and is funneling more quota into the hands of larger corporations, while driving smaller, independent boats right out of business.
Read the complete opinion piece from the Newburyport News.