In 2009, we here at the Times created a full-fledged "fishing" beat, with staff writer Richard Gaines as its primary reporter.
We were responding to several stories we were covering almost daily, including the tragic sinking of the fishing vessel Patriot and the lingering questions about the delayed response of the Coast Guard, efforts by the newly installed chief of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to impose a new regulatory scheme on the fishing industry and a stepped-up federal enforcement campaign targeting local fishermen.
Those and other stories made us want to learn more about the factors behind what even the government concedes is a "dysfunctional" relationship between the fishing industry and federal fishing regulators. The more we dug — and continue to dig today — the more we learned.
We learned, through documents and extensive sources, of a long-running, high-powered push by major environmental lobbying groups to not only influence federal policy but also to directly shape that policy by gaining a political stronghold within the government itself.
We learned that the forces pressuring fishermen here in Gloucester are also being felt in fishing ports on all three coasts of the United States.
As we reported on these issues, we saw an uprising of America's fishermen, who gained support from city, state and elected federal officials who are now poised to take the fishermen's case to the White House.
We are proud to present this comprehensive four-day series on the crisis facing Gloucester's and America's fishermen — and the industry's growing commitment to fight and preserve what is truly a "Fishery Under Siege."
The stories in this series were written by staff reporters Richard Gaines and Patrick Anderson and Nancy Gaines, a longtime journalist, magazine editor and special projects writer who is also Richard's wife. Photos are by Kate Glass and Mary Muckenhoupt and illustrations by Doug Hartman and Dave Granlund.
— Ray Lamont, Editor, Gloucester Daily Times
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