From the stunning February announcement that federal regulators were pressing aggressive new charges — with a recommended four-month shutdown and $325,000 fine — against the Gloucester Seafood Display Auction, through the latest effort two weeks ago to press new allegations and wrongly get out the word that the auction was on the brink of a 10-day closure, we've had almost daily stories relating to the fishing industry and the rules and regulators who control it.

Over the past five months or so, Times writer Richard Gaines has spoken with countless fishing officials on all levels of government, fishing industry leaders, marine scientists and, most importantly, the fishermen themselves in a dedicated effort to lay out the myriad issues facing the industry, especially here in Gloucester, where the industry's many small businesses — from the fishing boats to processing and service facilities — are still very much the core of the local economy.

Now, with investigators from the Inspector General's office of the federal Department of Commerce about to visit that area to probe fishermen's — and our state and federal lawmakers' — allegations of overly-aggressive federal enforcement tactics, we've taken another step in our coverage of this important, ongoing story. We've literally pulled all of this coverage together through a new presentation at gloucestertimes.com. There, as the header notes, you can "follow the fishing industry" and the Times' coverage of it throughout this extraordinary, landmark period. You can access the page directly at gloucestertimes.com/fishing.

Why, with daily coverage of these issues, have we created this new page? Why do we give this level of coverage to the fishing industry? Why, you may well ask, is your community's newspaper doing that?

Because we believe that, with a landmark change in the federal regulatory format, with a change at the very top of the National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration, and with significant challenges to the way regulators carry out their duties, this truly is a crossroads time for the fishing industry.

We also recognize that — from its direct economic impact to its attraction for tourism, educational and scientific interests, the fishing industry and working harbor still form the hub of our city's and Cape Ann's economy. And, given the coverage we have provided regarding these myriad issues, we thought it important to have all of our major stories relating to the industry in recent months presented together in one place.

Among other things, the special fishing online presentation — pulled together by Scott Pytlik, our regular Features page designer and gloucestertimes.com Web site coordinator — features our coverage at the time of NOAA's enforcement moves against the Gloucester Seafood Display Auction. It spotlights the reactions and letters of complaint filed by lawmakers and it recounts several fishermen's claims that they had been offered lesser penalties for their own alleged violations if they would "rat out" the auction to federal fishery enforcement investigators.

The page also features Richard's coverage of the fight over the old and new National Marine Fisheries Service regulatory policies, from a January judge's ruling regarding the core of the NMFS' regulations, to the naming of new NOAA chief Jane Lubchenco and last month's regulatory approval by the New England Fishery Management Council. In that vein, it also outlines how the eyes of fishing regulators in the nation's capital and fishermen around the nation are very much on what is happening in New England, and specifically in Gloucester as the nation's oldest seaport and most historic U.S. fishing center.

There will certainly be more stories about the fishing industry and Gloucester's fishermen in the days and weeks to come. But if, as you read our continuing coverage, you wonder what has brought these issues to a head, check out our previous coverage at gloucestertimes.com/fishing. As always, let me know what you think.

Questions? Comments? Is there an issue you'd like to see addressed in a future column? Contact Times Editor Ray Lamont at rlamont@gloucestertimes.com.