September 28, 2017 — One by one, the Gloucester fishermen settled in front of the microphone for those with something to say to the New England Fishery Management Council and, one by one, they delivered their thoughts.
Some of the remarks, such as those from Tom Orrell of Yankee Fleet and Paul Vitale, captain of the Angela & Rose, were short and to the point. Orell wanted to know why the for-hire boats faced so many restrictions in the Gulf of Maine and Vitale simply wants more fish quota. Now.
Joe Orlando of the Santo Pio talked science and cod, while longtime fishermen Al Cottone and Rick Beal adopted more philosophical tones, speaking to the council on the need for a two-lane channel of trust and truth.
“There is a unique opportunity here to bridge the gap,” Cottone, captain of the Sabrina Maria and executive director of the city’s Fisheries Commission, told the council. “You need to restore faith within the industry that you’re actually seeing what we see (on the water).”
It was a rare home game for the Gloucestermen, the first time in more than a decade that the council had pitched camp in America’s oldest seaport for a full meeting.