PrintAugust 18, 2010
The Fishy Politics of Fisheries
John Kerry and seven other senators from the northeast have sent a letter to President Obama asking for millions to buy out fishermen who have been forced into dire circumstances by our government. Kerry's plan would use $100M to buy boats and government permits from fishermen, ostensibly to reduce fishing capacity and thus relieve the pressure on fish stocks. This is poppycock!There is no need to further reduce the pressure on fish stocks. Obama's handpicked ecozealot, Dr. Jane Lubchenco, administrator of NOAA and former bigwig at the Environmental Defense Fund, has personally driven fisherman allocations drastically below those levels that even her own scientists say are sufficient to sustain and allow growth of the stocks. Dr. Lubchenco wants the industry to shrink. She envisions a fixed number of catch share permits allocated within a small community of fishing boats. Let the fittest fishermen survive. Kerry would remove permits as he removes fishermen, driving the...(Read Full Article)
