The City of New Bedford, Massachusetts, along with several fish houses, and individual fishermen, have filed suit against the Secretary of Commerce, and the administrator of NOAA. Among other things, the lawsuit claims that NOAA’s fishery allocation plans give preferential treatment to certain groups, and fail to adequately analyze impacts on small businesses, and fishing communities. The New England fishery had 1,400 boats in 1994, and now has 600. The latest regulation, Amendment 16, is expected to drop the number to as few as 100-200 vessels……Sure sounds familiar. We certainly wish them luck, though time and our money always favor the feds. Maybe having a city behind the suit will add some political punch to the equation. New Bedford is the nation’s largest fishing port, and if Gloucester joins in the suit, it could be the start of something big.
