According to a report federal commercial fishing officials will visit Narragansett on Monday to meet with fishermen about a dramatically revised and controversial management program that began May 1. The report also states that the National Marine Fisheries Service is holding sessions around the Northeast to “solicit further feedback” from the industry.
NMFS is also offer training on some of its technical requirements. Such as electronic systems for regulators to track the location of vessels and for vessels to instantly report fish catches. The new management program vessels owners are awarded a share of how much they may catch of each industrywide quota for bottom-dwelling “groundfish.”
The new system also establishes cooperatives, called “sectors,” in which fishermen pool their shares together to more efficiently harvest fish and bring their catch to market. But the fishermen of the island have complained that the new system, along with severe catch quotas, will force many out of the industry. NMFS scheduled the sessions after hearing industry representatives report widespread confusion over the bureaucracy of the new system.
