According to Kerry the discussion is on the right way in pressing the Commerce Department and its renegade officials at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to address the government-created crisis in the New England fishing industry. He told that these government policies have forced out of business many of the mainstay of New England fishing fleet — small, independent fishermen with a single boat and a small (or no) crew.
For large-scale commercial fishing companies the policy is far more lucrative. They can dominate the seas and manage fish stocks. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke is also favouring the assessment of policies to minimize the economic damage. Kerry and Congressmen Barney Frank and William Keating raise another good idea in asking Locke to forward any uncaught allocations of fish not taken during the current fishing year onto the allowable catches for the next year, which begins May 1.
It’s essential that any added allocation be funneled to the struggling small, independent boats — not the big-boat business of Maine or the Cape Cod Hook Fishermen’s Association, which has already gotten more than their share through the New England Council’s shaky actions in the past. Kerry’s assessment that discussion has come a long way is worth noting, and he deserves credit for taking a greater leadership role on these issues.
