A key conference focused on potential changes in federal fishing regulations is looming over the next two days — less than two weeks prior to the Sept. 16 Democratic primary pitting state Rep. Anthony Verga against two challengers for his House seat.

But while Verga's re-election campaign claims the seven-term state representative played an important role in delaying implementation of tough new fishing mandates, there is no evidence that ever happened — not even on the candidate's own Web site.

The campaign Web site contains a lengthy review of the events that Verga's advertising claims he influenced, but his own Web site takes no note of any substantive impact from Verga's action during the continuation of government hearings and arguments on fisheries management.

In a four-color, folded flier mailed to registered voters, Verga's re-election committee proclaims that Verga's "hard work led to the delay in implementation of Amendment 16," which was described as a body of "federal regulations that would have had disastrous economic impact on families in the fishing industry."

The implementation date for Amendment 16 was delayed. But the decision to do so was made by the New England Fisheries Management Council in its regularly scheduled June meeting in Portland, Maine.

The impetus for the impromptu decision to put off the implementation date of a new set of recommended regulations to control fishing and allow stocks to recover was the preliminary stock assessment report from Paul Rago, a scientist from the federal government's Northeast Fisheries Science Center at Woods Hole suggesting that stocks were recovering less robustly than expected. The science center is an agency in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which is empowered by federal law to protect the fishery.

The dire nature of the preliminary report shocked the council, convincing it to decide to put off making new regulations until the full report was released. That massive document was made public on the Web last week, and will be examined over the next two days at a series of hearings in Providence. Last Thursday, the U.S. senators from Maine and Massachusetts together wrote to the inspector general of the federal Department of Commerce, NOAA's parent agency, to urge the report be peer-reviewed before allowing it to become the basis of future regulations.

NOAA is required to take action by May 2009 under the proposed Amendment 16, which replaces Amendment 13 as the controlling body of regulations on fishing in the Gulf of Maine and the North Atlantic.

In an interview, Verga defended the claim that his "hard work led to the delay in the implementation of Amendment 16," explaining that he went to a meeting of fishing interests in New Bedford on May 28, before the council meeting in Portland that heard Rego's presentation, and urged the council to go slow.

At that meeting, Verga was one of many state political, government, academic and industry figures expressing and pledging solidarity with the fishermen and discussing their uncertain immediate future. No substantive action, however, came from the New Bedford meeting.

Verga's campaign Web site reviews the New Bedford meeting, referring to it as a "summit," and notes that Verga "and a group of legislators from key fishing districts" sponsored a resolution urging Congress to delay the implementation of Amendment 16."

The report on the Web site did not suggest that the recommendation had any effect.

The Amendment 16 issue is the latest that has raised questions regarding Vega's campaign claims as he battles challenges from fellow Democrats Astrid afKlinteberg, an attorney and former Gloucester city councilor, and Ann-Margaret Ferrante, who is also an attorney and legal counsel and a co-founder of the New England Seafood Coalition, a locally-based advocacy group of the fishing industry, with members from Maine to New York state. Ferrante is also a loan officer of the Gloucester Fishermen's Loan Fund.

On Aug. 22, the Times reported that Verga had taken credit for securing million dollars in state money for Cape Ann that would have come to the area anyway, and for other appropriations including $4.5 million for Sawyer Public Library that are only theoretically available, and that library officials acknowledge they will likely never see.

Verga is seeking an eighth term as the representative from the 5th Essex district. The winner of the Sept, 16 primary will most likely be elected in November in the general election since there are no Republican candidates for the seat.

Richard Gaines can be reached at rgaines@gloucestertimes.com