The battle over New England's groundfish quotas rages on this week with Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) stepping up to bat and New Bedford, Mass., Mayor Scott Lang talking to Frank and Rep. Walter Jones (D-N.C.) in a closed-door meeting on Capitol Hill.
The mission is to bump sector quotas in order to keep the little guys afloat. This is not an effort to overfish, but rather to fish just enough, to stay on the water without taxing the resource. That is the true definition of a sustainable fishery.
In keeping with that mission of balancing fishermen's livelihoods with ecologically sustainable practices, the Gulf of Maine Research Institute, based in Portland, Maine, is starting a new program aimed at training Northeast fishermen to ease environmental impacts while simultaneously boosting their profits.
The first Environmental Management System program is scheduled to take place in Beverly, Mass., on Feb. 16 and 17. Admission is free but limited to 20 participants.
If you're interested in attending, please contact Steve Eayrs ([email protected] or 207-228-1659) or Jen Levin ([email protected] or 207-228-1688) at GMRI.
Thank you for your time.
Jessica Hathaway
Editor in Chief, National Fisherman
www.nationalfisherman.com