Local fishermen in Plymouth find it difficult to deal with the new regulatory system for the groundfishery. Their out to sea has been limited to few times in a season and to stay in business they has had to buy fishing quota from another fisherman. The new system allocates each commercial fisherman in a sector, or cooperative, a fixed amount of fish for the year.
According to a local fisherman before this new system fishermen always make a good living now they are going out of business. Media reports to hold a forum on fishing to address problems associated with the new catch share system, since many of the New Bedford groundfish boats in sectors were tied up as well, no longer able to make fishing pay.
Fishing permit history and vessel history are not always the same. Asked if the problems experienced by fishermen in Sector 10 were an early indication that sector management was not working as intended, it is said that the opposite was, in fact, the case. Locla fisherman believes that despite testimony from fishermen that fish stocks are largely rebuilt, political pressure from well-funded environmental groups is responsible for unduly influencing government policy.
