By Richard Gaines
Staff Writer
—
Charlie Baker, the Republican candidate for governor, proclaimed the need Monday for stronger state support for the fishing industry's fight to survive Obama administration policies — and he pronounced himself ready to provide it.
"I've been having a tantrum about this for months," said Baker. "As governor, I'll be knocking on the president's door."
The afternoon campaign stop at St. Peter's Square came only six weeks since Baker's last visit, also on the waterfront and a few yards to the east at The Gloucester House.
Two weeks ago, it was Gov. Deval Patrick's turn to meet with the industry. The first-term Democrat used that occasion at Cruiseport Gloucester to ruminate publicly about how best to leverage his friendship with the president to dissuade Obama from policies coming out of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and its parent agency, the Department of Commerce.
But after raising hopes that he would call the president, the governor dashed them in the minds of many fishermen by deciding to proceed up the chain of command, starting with a letter to Commerce Secretary Gary Locke.
The ocean policies of the Obama administration — designed — as National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration chief Jane Lubchenco has vowed - to trim a "significant fraction" of the small-business fishing fleet while opening the door to investors buying up fishermen's catch shares — have angered a bipartisan coalition in Congress, including both senators and the representatives of Gloucester and New Bedford, key votes for Obama's bank regulation and health care bills.
Led by Congressmen John Tierney and Barney Frank, the fishing caucus has given up trying to leverage relief from Locke and Lubchenco, and are now working directly with the White House.
Many fishermen expressed frustration and exasperation at Patrick's seeming change of plans; a handful who had been in the audience for Patrick's public policy discussion on June 14 went to the park Monday to commiserate with Baker.
Fisherman Al Cottone said that, in his view, Patrick is "on the clock right now."
"The governor should have been in this debate three years ago," Baker added. "This industry is why Massachusetts was founded.
Corrado Buccheri, a fishing boat business owner, reminisced about the days of yore, when one could skip across multiple decks from wharf to wharf.
"Now, there are 15-20 percent of the boats left," he said — and the survivors are struggling, he added.
"We get a little talk and then it goes away," he said.
Joe Orlando, skipper of the Padre Pio, made the point that Gloucester, despite its history and continued centrality to the industry, has not had a representative on the New England Fishery Management Council since Vito Calomo was culled out six years ago.
Appointments are made by the Secretary of Commerce from a list of three nominees submitted by the governor.
Robert Keough, the governor's spokesman for fisheries, said the governor has a complex record of successful advocacy, and cited a number of results. These included $13.4 million in emergency relief obtained via a Senate earmark in 2008, and a boost in the allocation of scallops, worth roughly $40 million in catch value, that followed a one-on-one meeting between Patrick and with the chairman of the federal regional council last winter.
Fishermen told Baker Monday, however, that the conservative catch limits were unnecessary, with the stocks stronger than any time in recent memory, And Baker told the fishermen that when he governs the state, he will mobilize the scientific resources based here to counter what Cottone called "honky-tonk science" aimed at weakening the already diminished industry.
In what was less a statement than a informal discussion, Baker made repeated references to the untapped leadership of academic scientist Brian Rothschild, the industry champion and guru based in New Bedford and the School of Marine Science and Technology at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth.
Rothschild was the industry's choice for the No. 1 NOAA fisheries job after Lubchenco was named and confirmed by the Senate, but despite support for Rothschild from the congressional delegation here and as far away as North Carolina and the West Coast, Lubchenco avoided making an appointment until February.
When she acted, the post went to Eric Schwaab, a Maryland state official and a virtual unknown to the commercial fishing industry.
Baker said the state could do more without spending a lot of money.
"It's not a big financial commitment" to mobilize the many academic resources in Massachusetts to counter NOAA's claims, Baker said.
"The state shouldn't let the feds drive this train," he said.
Richard Gaines can be reached at 978-283-7000, x3464, or rgaines@gloucestertimes.com.
