Sustainable Fisheries Policy Needs Comment...And Yes It Is Food Related!

[Nicole Ouellette]

I just got this press release about fisheries policy, which directly effects those of us trying to eat locally in New England. Please forward this along to anyone who wants to keep eating seafood for years to come!

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It’s a ritual of summer, even in tough times: Tourists and locals alike flock to seafood shacks and shanties for a plate of fried fish, and to local markets for just-off-the-boat haddock, flounder and cod.

But in recent years, with less fish in the ocean, and more federal restrictions on fishermen, the future of that tradition has been at stake.

Some Cape Cod fishermen have found a new way to do business: managing their local catch as a community, instead of under complex federal rules that force them to waste fish and be tied to a clock.

Now, a system developed on Cape Cod called sectors is set to expand all over New England, and it could give a big economic boost to the region in the long run--up to $500 million.

What will it mean to seafood lovers? When the whole groundfish fleet moves into the new sector system of fishing cooperatives, the fish stocks will have a chance to rebuild, and we’ll have more consistent access to fresh, local fish, which in turn will support our local economy.

Here’s the catch: In order for fish stocks to rebuild, the New England Fishery Management Council (the regional governing body for fisheries) has to move forward with the plan to expand sectors, and it has to include more robust accountability and monitoring for the entire New England fleet to make the entire plan work.

Time is of the essence: A vote is set for the end of June. Meanwhile, these historic fishing communities all across Cape Cod and New England hang in the balance … along with that plate of fried cod.

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