April 14, 2016 –Members of the Massachusetts state legislature have written to Dr. William Karp, the head of Science and Research at the Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC), in response to a recent rejection of a scallop research set-aside proposal from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth School for Marine Science & Technology (SMAST).
In their letter, the legislators asked Dr. Karp to renew the funding, which they contend has been critical in producing accurate, independent estimates of the scallop resource. They state that past SMAST studies “have stood the test of time,” and have “positively helped the [New England Fishery Management] Council in its regulatory functions under Magnuson [Stevens Act].”
They conclude that “cutting out the independent approach provided by the University of Massachusetts is not only scientifically questionable, but undercuts the ability of the Federal government to make sound assessments, formulate plans and explain those actions in the very complicated areas of fisheries management.”