Fishermen Asking Congress to Keep an Eye on Herring Boats

January 24, 2007

New Bedford Standard-Times
By BECKY W. EVANS, staff writer

Commercial fishermen from Massachusetts and Maine headed to Washington, D.C., yesterday to convince members of Congress that more observers are needed aboard midwater herring trawlers to monitor how many and what types of fish they catch.

They plan to ask Congress to allocate $1.5 million for observer coverage on the herring fleet in the 2008 federal budget, according to the Coalition for the Atlantic Herring Fishery’s Orderly, Informed and Responsible long-term development. The coalition is an alliance of fishermen, environmental groups and eco-tourism businesses.

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