Fishing Industry Stories -- GloucesterTimes.com, Gloucester, MA

Limits looser for common poolers

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:40:00 EST

NEWPORT, R.I. — The New England Fishery Management Council has removed a powerful disincentive for fishermen who have chosen to remain outside the catch share system and instead fish independently in the common pool next year.

In catch limit fight, yellowtail lose out to 'cash cow' scallops

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:50:00 EST

NEWPORT, R.I. — A frustrated New England Fishery Management Council yesterday found reasons to rethink the seven-year rebuilding program for yellowtail flounder.
The 10-7 vote to "initiate an action" to adjust the rebuilding strategy reflected a deeply conflicted council and was taken after hours of fruitless discussion and debate aimed at controlling the bycatch of yellowtail in the scallop fishery.

Fishing panel to set limits on catch

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 05:55:00 EST

The New England Fishery Management Council opens a three-day meeting in Newport, R.I., this morning with a roster of devilish details, notably catch limits on groundfish species as well as pollock and herring, to establish the start of the hotly disputed era of catch shares, expected to begin next May.

Paper shows Big Green's 'inside' push for catch shares

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 22:37:00 EST

1Since at least the 1990s, EDF has been pushing globally to have commonly owned ocean fish stocks converted into catch quotas that could be assigned as rights, creating tradeable market products that attract capital investment. New England has become the primary battleground.

Alaskans' visit spotlights differences in fisheries

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 05:50:00 EST

Coming across country, two Alaskans describing their deep, different and varied experiences in the nation's newest, biggest volume and value fishery also underscored how different their catch share system histories are from the one the New England groundfishermen have to look forward to.

NMFS pushes back deadline for appealing landing data

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 05:50:00 EST

Ten-year catch histories, chosen by the New England Fishery Management Council as the determining factor in the region's tentative first distribution of an overall catch limit in individual catch shares next year, are rife with inaccuracies — with many permits enjoying unearned credit and others unfairly pinched, according to an informal survey by the Times.

EDF, fishing publishers set catch-share forum here

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 05:55:00 EST

At a pivotal moment for the New England fishing industry, the Environmental Defense Fund, a lead advocate of catch shares, and two fishing industry news publishers are co-sponsoring informational meetings this week — one in New Bedford, one in Gloucester — on the hotly-disputed fishery regulatory system and its economic shift from one of public-resource competition to managed market commodities.

Feds: Wolffish doesn't need protections

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 05:35:00 EST

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A deep-water fish that's known as much for its ugly mug as its ability to gobble up whole urchins and crabs in a few swift chomps will not be getting federal protection after all.

Leaders: New catch limits will sink common poolers

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:02:00 EST

The common pool of fishermen who stayed out of sectors, the voluntary cooperatives that will work under a catch share system, will be severely constrained under limitations approved this week by an advisory committee of the New England Fishery Management Council.

Congressman Frank to NOAA chief: Many questions on catch shares

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 22:54:00 EST

In a pointed letter to the Obama administration's top fisheries administrator, Massachusetts Congressman Barney Frank has added his voice to a growing chorus of concerns about the transition of the New England groundfishery to a "catch share" regulatory system.

Catch share slow-up hailed

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 05:55:00 EST

A consumer group, Food & Water Watch, yesterday seconded the Pew Environment Group's motion that the Obama administration ease its ardor at commodifying public fisheries to achieve ecosystem restoration with investor principles.

Pew: Go slow on catch shares

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 05:51:00 EST

The Pew Environment Group yesterday urged the Obama administration to "go slow" on fishermen's catch shares, the economic system of fisheries management pushed by the Environmental Defense Fund and Jane Lubchenco, its former vice chairman, now the national administrator for fisheries.

Protest brings out hidden show of force

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 05:50:00 EST

While a regional fishermen's protest progressed peacefully Friday morning outside the front door of the headquarters for federal fishery managers in Blackburn Industrial Park, congenial, sympathetic Gloucester police officers patrolled the private area to control parking and traffic.

Fishermen protest catch rules

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:02:00 EDT

Hundreds of grumpy fishermen, their spirits visibly buoyed yesterday by the assemblage, rallied for justice from the National Marine Fisheries Service at the front door of its regional headquarters here.

Fishermen's rally targets policies, lobbies

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:12:00 EDT

From up and down the coast, commercial fishermen convened this morning at the regional headquarters of federal fishery regulators of the National Marine Fisheries Service to protest the influence of environmental lobbies on policies that were said to threaten the survival of the group and their colleagues.

Fishing rules lawsuit in works

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 05:55:00 EDT

A nonprofit corporation formed by Rhode Island fishermen is working with a major Boston law firm on a legal and constitutional challenge to the recently voted federal groundfish management plan that would transform the commonly held resources of the sea into privately held fishermen's catch shares.

Fishermen come in for grass-roots rally

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 23:03:00 EDT

From far-flung ports north and south of here, a broad-based movement of aggrieved fishermen is on its way to Gloucester, where protesters planned to meet at 8:30 a.m. today outside the new federal fisheries office building to register objections to the impact on their ways of life of a new wave of policies.

Fishing rally may be missing local pols

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 23:11:00 EDT

The "Gloucester rally," as chief organizer Amanda Odlin terms the casually organized mass meeting tomorrow morning to vent grievances against the U.S. system of regulating fisheries, is expected to draw hundreds of working fishermen, but possibly not a single politician.

David Goethel's full testimony

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 22:08:00 EDT

The full testimony of David Goethel, a fisherman and member of the New England Fishery Management Council, Tuesday before the U.S. House Subcommittee on Insular Affairs, Oceans and Wildlife, holding oversight hearings into the implementation of the Magnuson-Stevens Act in Washington, D.C.

Leader urges federal action

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 22:05:00 EDT

A commercial fisherman and federal official predicted yesterday that the New England fishing industry has a dim future, facing radical consolidation and the loss of "a way of life" that has existed for centuries without a "massive intervention at the congressional level."

Fishermen plan protest at NMFS

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 05:55:00 EDT

With participants expected from as far away as Maryland, plans for a massive fishermen's protest Friday against federal policies at the regulators' regional offices got a boost yesterday with the release of a supportive "Dear Colleagues" note from Elinor Ostrom, the new Nobel laureate in economics.

City ripe for more fish processing?

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 05:55:00 EDT

When the subject turns to fishing, the consultants advising the city on economic development opportunities in Gloucester Harbor speak less and listen more.
The rules of the marketplace governing most of the terrestrial world often don't apply in an industry dominated by shifting federal regulations, residents and industry leaders reminded Mount Auburn Associates at the last of the city's three "Harbor Lyceums" last week.

Anti-catch share group stifled at NH fishery forum

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 05:50:00 EDT

Last week's two-day seminar on the dynamic potential in transforming the commonly owned resources of the sea into private, tradeable catch shares produced many concerns and worries.
But only one voice was heard against the transformation already underway in New England — and that voice was muted and constrained at that.

Dogfish: A species in danger?

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 05:55:00 EDT

Fishermen will tell you that spiny dogfish — a hungry, aggressive species swarming nets and hooks up and down the East Coast — can take care of themselves.
But to their dismay, the plentiful small shark species that's been called everything from a pest to a plague could soon join animals such as bison and iguanas as protected international endangered species.

News analysis: 'Neutral' catch-share convener? Not at Mount Washington

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 05:50:00 EDT

BRETTON WOODS, N.H. — Conversion of the commonly held wealth of the seas into a tradeable, private commodity and then dividing the whole into "catch shares" was soft-sold with less than full disclosure to the management of New England's fisheries this week.

Federal fishing official looks to 'better times'

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 05:50:00 EDT

BRETTON WOODS, N.H. — An emissary from the federal administrator for fisheries came here yesterday with praise for the New England industry's struggle with — and cautious embrace of — market privatization or regulatory catch shares.

Reps raise red flags on catch shares

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 05:55:00 EDT

BRETTON WOODS, N.H. — Catch shares are a double-edged sword to be used with caution and a good deal of forethought, expert participants agreed yesterday at the start of a high-level workshop on the preferred tool of the Obama administration to modernize the regulation of fisheries across America.

NOAA chief backs Euro steps on tuna

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 05:55:00 EDT

The United States has announced a two-pronged campaign to induce the international community to begin controlling fishing for bluefin tuna — the giant and most valued alpha predator that's caught in waters off Gloucester and New England in late summer and fall.

N.H. conference zeroes in on fishing 'catch shares'

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 05:51:00 EDT

For the next two days, the 55 or so officials, appointed part-time legislators, scientists and staff who preside over the New England fishery will assemble in Bretton Woods, N.H., to examine in great detail the new fishing economic system known as catch shares — a system they have already approved for the groundfishery next year.

NOAA rep shoots down rumor of NMFS' candidate

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 05:50:00 EDT

Squelching a hot and fast-moving rumor, an official source yesterday said Elliott Norse, a crusading environmentalist and fierce opponent of trawling or dragging — hauling a weighted net along the ocean bottom for groundfish — is not a candidate to fill the top spot at the National Marine Fisheries Service.

Panel admits data error on skate fishery

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 05:55:00 EDT

The New England Fishery Management Council's Scientific and Statistical Committee, newly empowered to establish catch limits, has conceded making a mistake in calculating the proposed total catch reduction in skates, a high volume food fish.

NOAA chief seeks more leadership posts

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 05:50:00 EDT

The $4.5 billion federal agency charged with managing the commerce of oceans and their bounty is facing its first restructuring and modernization in 40 years, via an enlargement of executive offices and political influence.

Sen. Snowe: New herring data needed

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 05:55:00 EDT

U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe has come to the defense of New England's herring industry, which faces drastic cuts in next year's allowable catch, triggered by what she describes as "woefully" outdated scientific data.

Congressmen push NOAA to pay scallop observer costs

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 05:50:00 EDT

Six congressional representatives in districts from Massachusetts to North Carolina have asked the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to assume costs for scallop fishery's observer program, which have defaulted to the industry after annual set-aside catch allocations were used up in barely half the year.

'Surreal' cuts in herring catch

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 23:04:00 EDT

The Herring Committee of the New England Fishery Management Council yesterday approved a motion aimed at delaying a radical cutback in the size of future herring catches, pending a benchmark assessment of the strength of the fishery which is considered strong and stable.

Fish panel 'public' talks not for public

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 05:44:00 EDT

With experts being flown in from other regions, the New England Fishery Management Council is holding a two-day workshop on catch shares, the bitterly debated method of privatizing fish stocks and granting harvesting rights, later this month at the venerable and pricey Mount Washington Resort in Bretton Woods, N.H.

Catch share strife grows

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 05:45:00 EDT

Recreational fishing interests have registered their intense opposition to "catch shares" — the high-priority regulatory policy sought by the Obama administration to commodify and limit access to fisheries in an effort to align investment with conservation interests and reduce competition among individual fishing boats.

Industry: Herring cut 'disastrous'

Sat, 26 Sep 2009 00:52:00 EDT

A dramatic cut in the allowable catch of the ocean herring — a healthy stock on which more favored species feed and the lobster industry depends for bait — was announced this week.
All but certain for at least three years, the cutback plan by a scientific panel at the three-day meeting of the New England Fishery Management Council in Plymouth is wholly precautionary, and was controversial.

Proposed rules could halve fleet

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 05:55:00 EDT

Of the 500 or so commercial boats working in the New England groundfishery today, only half of them — perhaps even fewer than that — will still be fishing in 2011, industry innovator Vito Giacalone predicted yesterday.

Fishermen in pool face tough limits

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 05:55:00 EDT

PLYMOUTH — The New England Fishery Management Council last night authorized a belated crackdown on common pool fishing next year in an effort to prevent a free-for-all fishing derby.
The move strives to preserve the experiment in catch share sector fishing, scheduled to begin next May.

New York Times' report on food fish raises New Zealand industry's ire

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 05:45:00 EDT

Considered a model of enlightened self interest, the New Zealand Seafood Industry is furious about a splashy newspaper article anchored to environmental organizations' claims that insinuates a systemic failure surrounding the harvesting of hoki, which finds itself in fast-food fish sandwiches.

Catch-share rejections cloud talks

Sun, 20 Sep 2009 22:36:00 EDT

A move is afoot within the federal fishery management system to increase the protection of cod and pollock from the majority of the groundfishing fleet that has rejected the chance to join a cooperative or sector and participate in the "catch share" experiment now underway here.

Ferrante: Fishing, other federal issues require interim senator

Sat, 19 Sep 2009 05:46:00 EDT

With the support of Gloucester's state representative, the bill to allow the governor make an interim appointment to the U.S. Senate seat vacated by the death of Edward M. Kennedy has cleared the state House, its fate to be decided in the state Senate, possibly by next week.

NOAA cuts use of key letter in NOVAs

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 05:55:00 EDT

In a decision that could reduce the liability of the Gloucester Seafood Display Auction and its fish suppliers, federal fishery prosecutors have apparently decided to put an after-the-fact cut-off date on pending allegations for catching yellowtail flounder without an authorization letter.

Document fight goes to auction

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 05:55:00 EDT

The Gloucester Seafood Display Auction, preparing to defend itself against a massive illegal fish-brokering accusation, has won a major legal victory, with federal fishery prosecutors ordered to turn over several disputed documents as part of the discovery process.

Seafood Auction gets legal win vs. feds over documents

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 19:29:00 EDT

NOAA taps Kurkul predecessor for key post

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 05:55:00 EDT

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has tapped Professor Andrew Rosenberg, a environmental activist and business executive based at the University of New Hampshire, to advise the White House on marine spatial planning or zoning.

Lawyers: Pew wrongly 'taking control' of oceans

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 05:50:00 EDT

Well endowed and powerful environmental philanthropies — notably the Pew Charitable Trusts — have wrested control over the agenda for ocean policies from traditional, broad-based political forces, according to lawyers writing in an American Bar Association newsletter.

Mid-Atlantic lawsuit targets NMFS' history of flawed data

Wed, 09 Sep 2009 05:55:00 EDT

Even before New England groundfishermen began howling last week, scallopers all along the East Coast and Mid-Atlantic fishing interests were protesting the federal government's continuing use of erroneous catch histories to establish fishermen's earning potential under a new regulatory format.

NOAA-pushed plan in stark contrast to course taken overseas

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 05:40:00 EDT

Federal oceans administrator Jane Lubchenco and the two environmental lobbies that were her stepping stones into the Obama administration promote privatizing the wild stocks of the sea into tradeable commodities — or fishermen's "catch shares" — as a scientifically proven antidote to what ails New England's and the nation's fisheries.

'Distorting' catch share criticism

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 05:35:00 EDT

In June, the Environmental Defense Fund considered a critique of privatized fisheries — a goal of EDF — by Ecotrust Canada and found that the two organizations generally agree.
It was a conclusion Ecotrust Canada did not share.

Fishing catch data flawed

Sat, 05 Sep 2009 05:55:00 EDT

Commercial fishermen all across the region — like Bill Doughty and Bill Amaru — are discovering serious errors in government issued catch histories for the 10-year period chosen to determine how much they can catch and earn in 2010 — the first year of "catch share" sector fishing.

NMFS chief seeks changes to 'common' pool limits

Fri, 04 Sep 2009 05:50:00 EDT

New England's top federal fishing regulator has proposed new controls to prevent a commercial fishing "derby," targeting the side of the industry that next year will continue to work independently without catch shares or membership in new fishing cooperatives known as sectors.

News analysis: 'With fisheries, the first number you'd dial was Kennedy's'

Fri, 28 Aug 2009 05:50:00 EDT

What now for the New England fishing industry?
Over five decades, nearly every dispute between bureaucrats and the boats of the New England industry found its way into the Senate offices of the late U.S. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy.

Fishermen target catch shares in protest

Tue, 25 Aug 2009 22:30:00 EDT

Catch shares were on the minds of the New Bedford fishermen and on the signs on the sides of their boats that made a convenient detour into Vineyard Haven harbor yesterday in a dignified protest aimed at President Obama.

Fishermen shipping message to Obama

Tue, 25 Aug 2009 05:55:00 EDT

An armada of commercial fishing boats has been organized to make the trip across Vineyard Sound from New Bedford today to deliver a protest message to President Obama, vacationing on Martha's Vineyard.

New take on past fishing science?

Mon, 24 Aug 2009 05:55:00 EDT

The projected doomsday date for the collapse of world fisheries, outlined in a peer-reviewed, Science magazine research article that took on life of its own in countless alarmist stories about overfishing the oceans, "was not meant to be taken literally," the environmental group Oceana has claimed.

Catch figures suggest 'underfishing'

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 09:23:00 EDT

The New England groundfishery, poster child for over-exploitation and the subject of intricate regulations to end "overfishing," is, at the same time, an example of the opposite problem — underfishing — federal catch figures indicate.

Enviro group steps up 'catch share' push

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 17:22:00 EDT

The Environmental Defense Fund and a California congressman have undertaken a lobbying campaign on behalf of "catch shares," the policy advanced by national oceans administrator Jane Lubchenco that would privatize the fisheries, converting a commonly held resource into a commodity.

Enviro group steps up 'catch share' push

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 05:50:00 EDT

NMFS: Cut pollock catch by 67 percent

Mon, 17 Aug 2009 05:50:00 EDT

Sector fishery cooperatives, the linchpin of federal plans to protect wild fish stocks in New England, could collapse under new catch restrictions for one of the ocean's more unpredictable species, members of the industry working on the system say.

Candidate for top NMFS job pulls out

Tue, 11 Aug 2009 22:37:00 EDT

The former front-runner to head the National Marine Fisheries Service has removed his name from consideration for the post as the appointment process drags on for a fifth month.
Arne Fuglvog of Alaska, a veteran commercial fisherman with extensive experience in quota-based fisheries management systems like the catch share plans being advanced across the country, cited the length of the process in a July 31 letter asking the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to take him out of the running for its NMFS job.

NOAA puts allies from Pew on council

Wed, 05 Aug 2009 05:50:00 EDT

Appointments made by the Obama administration are shifting the balance of power on New England and Mid-Atlantic fishery management councils more and more toward environmental interests tied to Jane Lubchenco, the new National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration chief who is building a coalition for implementing her "catch share" regulatory system.

Fishing sector fee of $10K draws fire

Tue, 04 Aug 2009 05:50:00 EDT

The Northeast Seafood Coalition, the region's largest industry organization, has put a $10,000 price on membership in the 13 fishing cooperative corporations or "sectors" that it is organizing to operate in the new catch share fishing regulatory system scheduled to go into partial use next May.

Upbeat fishing study raises red flags

Sat, 01 Aug 2009 05:55:00 EDT

Until yesterday, the academic-science-media crusade against alleged "overfishing," mobilized by the Pew Environment Group and the Environmental Defense Fund, suffered from a bad reputation in some circles.

Study: No more gloom and doom

Fri, 31 Jul 2009 05:55:00 EDT

A landmark new study of the world's fisheries released yesterday found that management efforts — especially in developmentally advanced nations, notably in the United States, New Zealand and Iceland — have been effective in reversing declines caused by chronic overfishing.

NMFS leadership choice on hold

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 05:50:00 EDT

Turning away from the only two candidates to be interviewed, the Obama administration has apparently decided to reopen the search for the nation's top fisheries administrator.
The unexpected delay comes as the government moves aggressively to remake the nation's fisheries, converting the commonly held resource of wild fish stocks into a tradeable commodity under a regulatory format based on fishermen's "catch shares."

Not answers shellfishermen wanted

Tue, 28 Jul 2009 00:42:00 EDT

Biologists, businessmen and shellfishermen packed the Annisquam River Marine Fisheries field station in Gloucester last night to air their grievances and raise questions to the state's Division of Marine Fisheries and their audience, the shellfish industry stakeholders.

Fish figures show gains for city fleet

Fri, 24 Jul 2009 00:01:00 EDT

Despite tightening restrictions on their catch, fishermen landed more seafood in Gloucester in 2008 than they did the previous year, according to new government figures — the latest sign that fish stocks in the North Atlantic are rebounding.

Outer Banks fleet: Enforcement woes parallel Gloucester's

Thu, 23 Jul 2009 05:39:00 EDT

The Outer Banks of North Carolina, a 200-mile long sand-barrier island chain that is home to more than 2,000 commercial fishing boats, is very different from the eccentric rocky ports of New England.
But the federal fishery law enforcement regime is the same, and so are the complaints.

News analysis: NOAA, after media push vs. auction, silent after court rebuke

Wed, 22 Jul 2009 05:40:00 EDT

The law enforcement office of the federal fisheries service undertook an aggressive, preemptive media campaign last month to inform the public of its decision to penalize the Gloucester Seafood Display Auction with a 10-day closure for a disputed violation of a 6-year-old probation agreement.

Federal judge backs auction

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 00:01:00 EDT

BOSTON — A federal judge yesterday barred the federal fisheries law enforcement agency from imposing a shutdown penalty against the Gloucester Seafood Display Auction before final adjudication of the allegation in U.S. District Court.

NOAA trial starts today

Sun, 19 Jul 2009 23:09:00 EDT

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's enforcement of laws meant to protect wild fish stocks is on trial today in federal District Court in Boston, where a judge may rule on the government's decade-long prosecution of the Gloucester Seafood Display Auction.

Fishing rule format draws more fire

Sat, 18 Jul 2009 00:38:00 EDT

A minority report raising questions about the fairness and legality of decisions by the New England Fishery Management Council to use differing formulas in splitting up the total allowable catch of groundfish next year has been filed with the U.S. Secretary of Commerce.

NOAA enforcer admits tipping Globe of action before auction

Fri, 17 Jul 2009 00:01:00 EDT

Responding to a federal judge's full disclosure order, the regional chief of federal fisheries law enforcement admitted in a sworn affidavit yesterday he briefed the The Boston Globe about a legal action aimed at closing the Gloucester Seafood Display Auction four hours before the auction itself was notified.

State AG backs auction in court fight

Sat, 11 Jul 2009 00:01:00 EDT

Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley has sided with the Gloucester Seafood Display Auction in its request for a restraining order barring federal fisheries regulators from shuttering the Harbor Loop fish brokerage for 10 days this summer.

Editorial: Fishing vigil, rally is a new beginning in fight for justice

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 05:55:00 EDT

Wednesday night's candlelight vigil and demonstration against the shameful regulatory and enforcement squeeze on a fishing industry already struggling for survival was an invigorating show of passion and solidarity.

At least 9 testify in IG's probe

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 05:50:00 EDT

A day after hundreds packed Gloucester City Hall at a vigil in support of the fishing industry, area fishermen yesterday met with investigators from the U.S. Commerce Department examining complaints of improper and vindictive enforcement tactics by fisheries regulators.

Hundreds protest enforcement regulations

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 23:02:00 EDT

The imagery suggested a tragedy more than an industry's struggles with arcane federal regulations.
But for the hundreds marching with candles from the steps of City Hall to the sea last night, the Byzantine federal efforts to control the fishing industry have risen to that level.

Catch-share fishing 'commodities' raise industry red flags

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 05:55:00 EDT

When community leaders, residents and visiting fishermen and their families gather tonight for a vigil and rally in support of the industry, their primary focus will no doubt be on the heavy-handed tactics used by enforcement personnel with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and its National Marine Fisheries Service.

Lee makes case to team sent by IG

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 05:50:00 EDT

"I'm proud to be an American fisherman. We are an honest, hardworking community."
Bill Lee said that was the theme of his presentation yesterday to a team from the Inspector General of the Department of Commerce.

Judge demands NOAA answers

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 23:30:00 EDT

The publicity campaign that accompanied the latest enforcement action against the Gloucester Seafood Display Auction has become the subject of a federal judicial inquiry.
U.S. District Judge Douglas Woodlock has demanded affidavits by Friday from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to explain NOAA enforcement's aggressively orchestrated media campaign regarding its move last month to try to force the auction to close for 10 days.

Showing support for fishermen

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 05:55:00 EDT

As the Department of Commerce Inspector General's office investigates the enforcement practices of federal fishing regulators — and as fishermen out of Gloucester and throughout New England brace for a sea change in the industry's regulatory system — city and local legislative leaders are organizing a community show of support for local fishermen and the industry.

Lawyer poised to make fishermen's case to feds

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 05:50:00 EDT

A leading fishing industry lawyer due to meet next week with the Inspector General's investigators probing the alleged heavy-handed tactics of federal fishery enforcement says the Inspector General's office already has two key reports he's prepared detailing how the aggressive enforcement and judicial system hovering over the industry is rigged to drive fishermen out of business.

Feds step up probe of NOAA actions

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 05:55:00 EDT

Federal inspectors from the nation's capital — evaluating "allegations of excessive penalties and retaliatory actions" against New England fishermen by fishery law enforcement and regulatory officials based here — are set to begin private interviews with fishermen and their representatives on Monday.

State outlines ocean 'zoning'

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 05:50:00 EDT

Gov. Deval Patrick's administration yesterday released a draft zoning plan for the management of the inshore state ocean waters — one that bars development off the outside of Cape Cod while allowing regulated use of the waters around Cape Ann.

Fishing catch shares suddenly become hot 'commodities'

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 09:04:00 EDT

Two months before the Environmental Defense Fund achieved a political policy triumph with the vote last week to transform the New England groundfishery from a commonly held resource into negotiable commodities, a bullish EDF executive was urging institutional investors to buy these catch shares.

Praise for fishery changes comes from the inside

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 05:50:00 EDT

The congratulations that rained down on the fishery's rule makers' decision last week to privatize the bounty of the sea into negotiable "catch shares" for permitholders were, in essence, self-congratulations by those close to the process.

Sectors in best interest for fishery — and fishermen

Sat, 27 Jun 2009 05:36:00 EDT

I congratulate members of the New England Fishery Management Council and all those who worked to expand the current groundfish sector management program to help continue a positive transformation of fishing in the Northeast.

Trawling, seining limits costly to local herring boats

Sat, 27 Jun 2009 05:36:00 EDT

Stopping mid-water trawling and allowing purse seining only for large-scale summer herring harvesting within the Management Area 1-A have caused Gloucester's two big herring operators — Peter Mullen at Harbor Loop and Gerry O'Neill Sr. of Cape Seafoods Inc. and Western Sea Fishing Co. at the Jodrey State Fish Pier — much anxiety.

Fishery sorts out catch shares' future

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 05:50:00 EDT

PORTLAND, Maine — In a feat of industrial engineering undertaken in the name of conservation, the New England Fishery Management Council completed work yesterday on a new system of commercial fishing to replace the one that has evolved and been adapted along the coast here for nearly 400 years.

Council approves 'catch-share' format

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 05:50:00 EDT

PORTLAND, Maine — The New England Fishery Management Council yesterday took a semi-blind leap into the future by agreeing to convert the region's fishery from the effort-control regulatory system that's been in place for more than 20 years, to one based on fishermen's shares of the catch.

Fish auction challenges suspension

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 22:54:00 EDT

The Gloucester Seafood Display Auction has formally challenged a potential 10-day closure ordered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, asking a federal judge yesterday to bar fisheries regulators from suspending its license to operate as the landing hub of New England's fishing industry.

Fishing industry today faces transition

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 05:50:00 EDT

PORTLAND, Maine — New England's fishing tradition — a centuries' old system based on viewing the ocean and its creatures as public resources — seems almost certain to be relegated to history's discard pile this week.

Inspector General's probe will have initial local focus

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 05:50:00 EDT

On the same day federal fishery operatives executed a public relations campaign to create the impression the Gloucester Seafood Display Auction was being closed for 10 days, an Inspector General released his plan to investigate law enforcement practices — a probe stemming in large part from the auction case.

NOAA push vs. auction from the top

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 05:55:00 EDT

The latest enforcement action against the Gloucester Seafood Display Auction — a high visibility shutdown effort stemming from a disputed violation still unresolved in federal court — was apparently coordinated at the highest levels of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Governor seeks NMFS backing for flounder study

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 05:50:00 EDT

Gov. Deval Patrick is asking the National Marine Fisheries Service to authorize a $3.2 million cooperative research project to determine if extreme regulations to protect the winter flounder are really needed and improve fishing methods.

Auction faces new deadline, sanctions

Sat, 20 Jun 2009 00:03:00 EDT

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has issued the Gloucester Seafood Display Auction a Wednesday deadline to show why the hub of the local fishing industry should not be shut down for 10 days in the coming weeks.

700 sign up for seafood cooperative

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 00:01:00 EDT

At 4 p.m. yesterday, a line of two dozen people stood in the rain on a paved lot before a wharf on Rogers Street to pick up plastic bags, each containing about 5 to 10 pounds of dressed cod.
The shoppers had committed a fixed sum for 12 weeks of fresh fish to be delivered from boat to them without going through a series of middlemen.

Report: Coast Guard law system serves mariners justice

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 22:46:00 EDT

The U.S. General Accounting Office has found the Coast Guard's administrative law judge system to be a valid court operation that affords justice to mariners brought to trial.
The report serves to polish the image of a civil law trial system that was tarnished in 2007 by a report in the Baltimore Sun and hearings before a U.S. House subcommittee.

Feds to investigate NMFS enforcement tactics

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 05:52:00 EDT

The inspector general of the federal Department of Commerce this week began planning its investigation into the enforcement practices at NOAA fisheries — a probe requested in contrasting forms by the Massachusetts congressional delegation and the U.S. administrator for oceans and fisheries.

NOAA chief steps up push for 'catch shares'

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 22:35:00 EDT

National oceans and fishing administrator Jane Lubchenco yesterday promoted "catch shares," the commodification of wild stock into negotiable rights, as the key to healthy future fisheries.
The topic and system of fishery management is at the top of the working agenda — at different stages of implementation and for different reasons — in both New England and Alaska.

NMFS picks get mixed backing

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 05:55:00 EDT

The match competition between Arne Fuglvog, an Alaskan political aide, and Brian Rothschild, a Massachusetts academic researcher, to become chief steward of the nation's ocean resources and their dependent industrial cultures remains unresolved at the start of a new week.

Feds to probe NMFS' enforcement tactics

Fri, 05 Jun 2009 05:45:00 EDT

The new U.S. administrator for oceans and fisheries yesterday granted the Massachusetts congressional delegation its wish: an independent investigation into fishery law enforcement practices.
Jane Lubchenco's office released a letter to U.S. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy in which she reports asking for the inspector general of the Department of Commerce — the parent agency of Lubchenco's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration — to conduct a "formal review of our enforcement operations."

'NOVA' gone wrong:

Wed, 03 Jun 2009 22:31:00 EDT

A three-count National Marine Fisheries allegation against Edward Boynton arrived flawed and late.
The violations supposedly occurred in August, September and October 2005, when Boynton still owned the 42-foot Sissel B, a steel-hulled stern dragger, and when he still held a federal groundfishing permit as a commercial fisherman.

Alaska, Mass. fishing experts up for top job

Wed, 03 Jun 2009 05:50:00 EDT

President Barack Obama needed less time making a nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court than oceans and fisheries administrator Jane Lubchenco has already used mulling which of two candidates she will appoint to head the National Marine Fisheries Service.

Let the fishing resume

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 22:58:00 EDT

Gloucester's fishermen are fishing again.
After two months of enforced inactivity for stock rebuilding, the inshore grounds — teeming with haddock and cod this time of year — were opened again by federal fishery regulators at midnight Sunday.

NMFS: Bluefish, monkfish see gains

Wed, 27 May 2009 05:55:00 EDT

The nation's stocks of wild fish, considered weak or declining by Pew Environment Fund interests, are holding their own and improving slowly but steadily, according to the 2008 Status of the Fisheries Report of the National Marine Fisheries Service.

Fisheries panel kicks off hearings tonight

Tue, 26 May 2009 05:50:00 EDT

The New England Fishery Management Council today begins a highly compressed five-day road trip of public hearings for comments on Amendment 16, a suite of modifications of the commercial fishing regulatory system.

Fishermen's group calls for Magnuson clarification

Fri, 22 May 2009 05:50:00 EDT

Ending a three-day meeting and soul searching, the Commercial Fishermen of America announced plans to petition Congress to clarify the intent of the Magnuson-Stevens Act, the defining law for commercial fishing.

Fishing group sets US agenda

Wed, 20 May 2009 22:57:00 EDT

A five-year-old industry advocacy organization was urged yesterday by a small but influential group from widespread elements of the national commercial fishing community to muscle up in an attempt to tell its story loudly, clearly and with effect.

Fish auction case judge under cloud

Wed, 13 May 2009 05:50:00 EDT

The administrative law judge assigned to the illegal fish brokering case brought by the National Marine Fisheries Service against the Gloucester Seafood Display Auction is the subject of multiple investigations for allegedly conceding a willingness to decide cases as directed by his chief justice.

Fishermen: NMFS offered deals to 'rat' out auction

Tue, 12 May 2009 10:03:00 EDT

Federal investigators offered leniency and immunity deals to commercial fishermen in exchange for evidence that could be used in building a winning case against the Gloucester Seafood Display Auction, according to the recollections of multiple fishermen.

Scientist challenges NMFS' findings

Thu, 07 May 2009 05:50:00 EDT

NEW BEDFORD — University science, which has already proven itself with scallops, gave a public demonstration yesterday of its facility at one-upping government science on behalf of the New England groundfish industry.

Fed lawmakers press for probe of NMFS

Wed, 06 May 2009 05:50:00 EDT

Two U.S. senators and three congressmen who represent the state's fishing communities have asked for an investigation into allegations of "excessive penalties and retaliatory actions" by Gloucester-based federal fishery law enforcers against unnamed interests.

New York seeks voice on panel

Sun, 03 May 2009 22:35:00 EDT

U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer has introduced legislation to make room for New York on the New England Fisheries Management Council, which advises federal regulators and helps set policy for fishing out of Gloucester and throughout the region.

7 boats hit with NMFS charges

Fri, 01 May 2009 05:45:00 EDT

Seven more fishing boats have been charged with illegal catches, based mostly on 2004 landings data provided to the National Marine Fisheries Service by its primary target, the Gloucester Seafood Display Auction.

Rockport fisherman takes enforcement to top feds

Tue, 28 Apr 2009 22:48:00 EDT

Rockport commercial fisherman Bill Lee made a personal appeal yesterday to the top official for federal fisheries law enforcement for peace, reason and better legal writing to prevent the reoccurrence of an ongoing string of fines for technical violations.

Groups petition Congress to leave fishing rule alone

Thu, 23 Apr 2009 02:00:00 EDT

A galaxy of non-government organizations with the deep-pocketed Pew Charitable Trusts at its core is urging Congress to stay away from the coastal coalition assembling behind a bill to bring some flexibility to fishery recovery programs.

Fisherman taking flounder fight to top

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 22:44:00 EDT

Bill Lee is mad as hell, and on behalf of his commercial fishing colleagues, who like himself face stiff fines for allegedly selling technically illegal flounder at the Gloucester Seafood Display Auction a number of years ago, he isn't going to take it anymore.

Patrick to take fish fight to Capitol

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 05:50:00 EDT

NEW BEDFORD — Gov. Deval Patrick yesterday agreed to take up the cause of the fishing industry and lead a science-based political insurgency right up to the White House to rewrite federal fishery policies that have diminished the size of the fleet in the name of conservation.

Fish panel seeks closer eye on herring boats

Wed, 15 Apr 2009 05:50:00 EDT

A near-unanimous New England Fishery Management Council has asked federal regulators to end the practice of allowing industrial sized, midwater herring trawlers to work without observers in a section of Georges Bank that is closed to groundfishing boats.

Fed judge reinstates fishing regs

Sat, 11 Apr 2009 05:46:00 EDT

A federal judge stepped back yesterday from his decision to override National Marine Fisheries Service regulatory policies, reinstating the harsh cutback in fishing effort in the eastern Gulf of Maine that he had suspended in January.

Rule impact on fishery understated

Fri, 10 Apr 2009 05:55:00 EDT

The figures used by the nation's administrator of fisheries Monday to dramatize the reduced economic harm to the New England fishing industry from a revised Interim Rule were not wrong.
But as one industry group official put it, the approach "masks" the rule's true impact.

$16M to help fishermen install rules

Thu, 09 Apr 2009 05:55:00 EDT

MYSTIC, Conn. — The nation's administrator for oceans and fishing yesterday urged a giant forward step in New England's commercial fishing narrative from a checkered past to a promising future of "catch shares" and "sectors," and used $16 million to punctuate her point.

NMFS not following his order, judge told

Wed, 08 Apr 2009 05:55:00 EDT

MYSTIC, Conn. — The New England Fishery Management Council stuck by its guns and those of two member states yesterday, advising a federal judge that federal regulators had failed to follow his order to consider a holistic approach to managing the fishery.

NMFS eases Interim Rule

Tue, 07 Apr 2009 05:55:00 EDT

The National Marine Fisheries Service yesterday announced New England groundfishery regulations for the next year that are less drastic than a preliminary proposal but still are calculated to cost the industry 9 percent of its revenue.

Lawmakers push to ease fishing rules

Fri, 03 Apr 2009 05:50:00 EDT

Along the Atlantic Coast all the way to Florida, complaints from fishing ports are the same even if the fish — and the fishing — are different.
Winter flounder here, summer flounder father south and red snapper in Gulf waters — these are weak links, the distressed species, that are cited by the National Marine Fisheries Service as necessitating inflexible protective schemes to bring them back, to the exasperation of many who fish and who make laws.

New NOAA chief upholds auction action

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 10:33:00 EDT

A finding by the nation's former top fishing official that tote tags and tally sheets are legal records and the Gloucester Seafood Display Auction falsified them in 2004 to sell an extra 75 pounds of cod was upheld yesterday.

Industry awaits NMFS decision

Sun, 29 Mar 2009 22:17:00 EDT

The National Marine Fisheries Service is close to settling on — and announcing — a one-year regulatory scheme for New England's hard-pressed, shrinking fleets that could squeeze $30 million out of the industry.

Lawmakers question 'green' police's role vs. fishermen

Fri, 27 Mar 2009 05:50:00 EDT

Gloucester's state legislators yesterday asked the state secretary of energy and environmental affairs about the contract that allows federal fishery law enforcers to "deputize" state Environmental Police personnel in actions against Massachusetts fishermen.

NMFS socks fisherman with $49K 'fine'

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 22:30:00 EDT

A day boat-owning commercial fisherman was notified yesterday by the National Marine Fisheries Service that he faces a $49,703 fine for repeatedly selling illegally caught yellowtail flounder through the Gloucester Seafood Display Auction in 2004 and 2005.

New NOAA chief says 'Rule' not set

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 05:55:00 EDT

Jane Lubchenco, the newly confirmed administrator of the nation's fisheries, promised yesterday to put her personal stamp on the final draft of the fiercely disputed, one-year Interim Rule for New England's commercial groundfish industry.

Herring industry seeks role in lawsuit

Mon, 23 Mar 2009 05:55:00 EDT

The herring industry is fighting back, seeking "friend of the court" status in a federal lawsuit aimed at keeping their boats out of areas closed to groundfishermen and pointing to the Pew Charitable Trust as the agent provocateur.

Senate confirms NOAA leader

Sat, 21 Mar 2009 05:44:00 EDT

Jane Lubchenco, a marine biologist whose career path has followed the borders of academe politics, and foundation funding, has been confirmed — quietly, and after a long delay — to head up the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Senators' moves to right fishing rule in limbo

Wed, 18 Mar 2009 22:15:00 EDT

A month after seven New England senators pledged to prevent federal fishery regulators from imposing what the senators decried as a potentially industry-killing, year-long regulatory scheme, they have nothing to show for their efforts.

NMFS chief nominee backed Bush 'no-fishing zone'

Tue, 17 Mar 2009 05:50:00 EDT

Over the objections of the local fishing community, the legislature and the governor of an island chain on the other side of the world, a 115,000-square-mile, fishing-free "marine protected area" was created by President George W. Bush two weeks before he left office in January.

NMFS presses charge versus boat in auction sales

Fri, 13 Mar 2009 05:52:00 EDT

The National Marine Fisheries Service has begun making cases against boats for bringing illegally oversized catches to the Gloucester Seafood Display Auction, which faces illegal brokering charges that carry heavy fines and a potential 120-day shutdown.

Pew group seeks tighter Mid-Atlantic fishing regs

Thu, 12 Mar 2009 05:50:00 EDT

The environmental arm of the well-endowed Pew Charitable Trusts has launched a campaign against "overfishing" in the mid-Atlantic that an official with the regional fishery management council says is not occurring.

Inspector: 'Trust' gap hurts, but science good

Wed, 11 Mar 2009 05:55:00 EDT

The U.S. Inspector General has found that a "lack of trust" by the New England groundfishing industry in its federal regulators is largely responsible for a "lack of confidence" in government science that should otherwise be respected.

Senators working to block fishery new rule

Tue, 10 Mar 2009 05:44:00 EDT

A coalition of U.S. senators and representatives is trying to legislatively block an impending, stepped-up one-year crackdown on commercial fishing in New England by the National Marine Fisheries Service.

Lawmakers urge feds look at NMFS Representatives of fishing ports question enforcement actions

Sat, 07 Mar 2009 05:42:00 EST

The Democratic leaders of the Massachusetts Legislature have appealed to Congress for an independent investigation into ¬�— and relief from — what they describe as rogue enforcement actions designed to grind down and denigrate commercial fishermen.

Pew ties cloud industry view of NOAA chief nominee

Fri, 06 Mar 2009 05:52:00 EST

At her U.S. Senate confirmation hearing to head the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, celebrated marine biologist Jane Lubchenco was introduced as "the bionic woman of good science" by Ron Wyden, a senator from her home state of Oregon.

Fishing suit cites NMFS, herring fleet

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 22:38:00 EST

A coalition of groundfishermen from Maine, supported by the deep-pocketed Pew Environmental Group, is suing in federal court to bar the big industrial herring boats, including those that put out of Gloucester, from prime areas that have been closed to trawlers to allow stocks to recover.

A show of force for 3 Dabs, fillet

Tue, 24 Feb 2009 22:49:00 EST

Coast Guard Station Gloucester's flagship, the 110-foot cutter Grand Isle, steamed from its mooring at Jodrey State Fish Pier for another routine day of enforcement activity — looking for violators of byzantine federal fishing regulations.

Judge extends eased regs for fishing

Tue, 24 Feb 2009 05:55:00 EST

Reminding federal fishery regulators once again of the need for due process, U.S. District Court Judge Edward Harrington yesterday extended for two weeks his previous ruling that lifted the commercial fishing regulations that count one day at sea as two in fish-rich waters.

Standing up to NMFS

Sat, 21 Feb 2009 05:45:00 EST

From both houses of Congress and both political parties, condemnation continues to rain down on the scheme the embattled National Marine Fisheries Service has proposed to regulate the New England fishery for the year beginning May 1.

NMFS' 'war' on fishermen must be stopped

Sat, 21 Feb 2009 01:05:00 EST

A SPECIAL PAGE 1 GLOUCESTER DAILY TIMES EDITORIAL:

It's not often, thankfully, our federal government makes a declaration of war. Yet we now have a case of a rogue police agency within our own government issuing what amounts to a declaration of war that can effectively wipe out one of our own industries and a way of life right here in our own community.

National Marine Fisheries Service vs. Gloucester Seafood Auction

Fri, 20 Feb 2009 05:50:00 EST

Action: Notice of "violations" on the part of the Gloucester Seafood Auction; notice issued by National Marine Fisheries Service.
Notification: Letter to Auction, dated Friday, Feb 13.
Penalty: Notice of fines totaling $355,200, plus a 120-day shutdown.

NMFS TARGETS FISH AUCTION

Thu, 19 Feb 2009 22:43:00 EST

The National Marine Fisheries Service has renewed a longstanding and bitter legal campaign against the Gloucester Seafood Display Auction.
By letter dated last Friday, NMFS informed the Ciulla family that founded and owns the auction — an essential shoreside service for the commercial fishing fleet and the linchpin of the Gloucester's marine industrial economy — it was being fined $335,200 and its license suspended for 120 days for a variety of alleged violations of the fishery regulation act.

NMFS faces questions from leaders, fishermen

Thu, 19 Feb 2009 05:55:00 EST

The alliance of fishing interests and state officials that convinced a federal judge to strike down limits put on the industry by the National Marine Fishery Service has condemned an impending regulatory scheme as poor policy, based on poor science and a misread of Congress.

Judge frees up fishing days at sea

Wed, 18 Feb 2009 05:55:00 EST

A federal judge in Boston yesterday reinstated the "days-at-sea" leasing program — a format on which the Gloucester and New Hampshire fleets rely to keep working as the fishing year approaches its end.

Judge backs fishermen, frees up 'Days-At-Sea' leasing

Tue, 17 Feb 2009 15:54:00 EST

A federal judge in Boston today has reinstated the "days-at-sea" leasing program — a program on which the Gloucester fleet relies to keep working as the end of the fishing year nears.
The leasing program was suspended late last month by federal fishing regulators in the aftermath of a ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Edward Harrington, Harrington had suspended the so-called Framework 42 to give NMFS time to consider an alternative that would be more workable for the fishermen. But the suspension also included an extension for the "days-at-sea" leasing format, so NMFS officials suspended that program, effectively cutting off fishermen's time to work over the next 60 days.

Next fishing rules target to be catch, not 'days'

Tue, 17 Feb 2009 00:25:00 EST

Even as battles in and out of federal court rage over the controls system long used by the federal government to regulate the North Atlantic fishery, a different future is taking form for the core of the industry that survives.

Fishermen's hope withdraws from Cabinet contention

Fri, 13 Feb 2009 05:50:00 EST

U.S. Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H., abruptly withdrew as the nominee for secretary of Commerce, saying it had become clear he wouldn't be running his own ship as a member of President Barack Obama's administration.

Lease suspensions felling fleet

Thu, 12 Feb 2009 22:07:00 EST

The suspension of the federal days-at-sea leasing program, felled in the legal clash between an alliance of two states against the National Marine Fisheries Service in a federal courtroom, is wreaking economic havoc on the fleet based in Gloucester.

Fishery future's in hands of courts

Thu, 12 Feb 2009 05:55:00 EST

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. — Underlying the tension that pervaded this week's meeting of the region's fishing interests, their representatives on a government council and the chief regulator of all fishing in New England was a clash of how to interpret the nation's fishing law.

Fish panel stands firm vs. NMFS

Wed, 11 Feb 2009 05:55:00 EST

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. — The regional council that sets fishery policy sided with a federal judge yesterday, asserting that Congress did not expect or want the industry brought to its knees in an effort to nurture back to health the weakest stock in the polyglot groundfish system.

Fishing chiefs grapple with mandate suspension

Tue, 10 Feb 2009 05:55:00 EST

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. — The region's two-week-long descent into legal confusion and fishing frustration was extended indefinitely yesterday when a federal judge rejected the National Marine Fisheries Service's plea that he step aside and cease interfering with its efforts at restoring the health of the fishery.

Showdown on fishing mandates

Mon, 09 Feb 2009 05:55:00 EST

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. — The New England Fishery Management Council today opens a three-day meeting in the home state of Sen. Gregg Judd, nominated to be the next cabinet secretary for fisheries, with this region's fishery in a state of hyper uncertainty.

An industry backer in charge?

Sun, 08 Feb 2009 22:54:00 EST

New Hampshire Sen. Judd Gregg stands to be only the fourth New Englander to serve as the nation's Commerce secretary, the first in more than 30 years — and the appointment could prove to be a boon to the region's troubled fishing industry.

Fishery rescue plan is DOA

Wed, 04 Feb 2009 23:14:00 EST

Six New England senators' effort to affix a $156.4 million rescue plan for the groundfish industry to the near $900 billion economic stimulus and recovery plan in the U.S. Senate apparently failed some time ago behind an opaque curtain.

Fishing regulators seek stay of ruling

Wed, 04 Feb 2009 05:55:00 EST

The National Marine Fisheries Service has urged a judge to stay his suspension of federal fishing regulations for the North Atlantic to prevent what the agency says would be a "substantial setback" in rebuilding stocks and "irreparable harm" suffered by the industry.

$156M for fishing in Senate stimulus

Mon, 02 Feb 2009 05:55:00 EST

With the North Atlantic fishery chronically declining and now at what many believe is a make-or-break moment, senators from three New England states have asked Congress for $156.4 million to transform, downsize and modernize the nation's original industry.

Ruling reaction: Feds say no to leased days at sea

Fri, 30 Jan 2009 05:55:00 EST

In an action that is projected to have especially harsh impact on Gloucester's fishing fleet, the National Marine Fisheries Service yesterday suspended the program that allowed fishermen to lease days at sea from unused permits.

'Nobody knows what the rules are'

Thu, 29 Jan 2009 05:55:00 EST

The winter storm that blew through yesterday kept most of the commercial fleet tied up in port during the first full day of regulatory anarchy created by a federal judge's ruling against lazy work by the National Marine Fishery Service.

Fed judge sets aside fishing rules

Tue, 27 Jan 2009 22:40:00 EST

In a ruling that temporarily rolls back the regulation of commercial fishing in New England into short-term uncertainty, a federal judge in Boston has chastised the U.S. Commerce Department for its cavalier treatment of official obligations.

Feds: Fish rules' goal is to reduce fleet

Fri, 16 Jan 2009 05:55:00 EST

If newly proposed constrictions of commercial fishing opportunities drive fishermen out of business — as most expect them to — the result will achieve a policy goal of the federal government — smaller fleets in New England ports.