National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration chief Jane Lubchenco has expressed that the federal government has no interest in consolidating the nation’s fishing industry into the hands of a few large companies. He told that the government can help craft rules to protect smaller, family-run fisheries that have traditionally plied the nation’s coastal waters.
It is fact that small fishing communities are a valuable part of nation’s natural heritage and culture. They are a lot of what makes special places along the coastline special. It is said that fishing is more than just economics. It is about culture, community and this need to be maintained. It is true that commercial fishers struggle with declining stocks and tighter regulations.
It is said that the fishers in New England are planning to switch by next year to a new “catch-share” system that allocates a total catch to groups of fishers, who divide it among themselves. Environmentalists support the new system, saying it will stop overfishing by limiting how much of a certain species can be caught, while at the same time giving people more control over how to catch the fish.
According to Lubchenco the new system can be structured in such a way as to help smaller fishing operations. John Haviland, a Massachusetts fisherman with 34 years of commercial experience, said if it weren’t for individual fishers pushing back, they would have long ago been squeezed out of the market.
