Report: Fisheries oversight 'unfair'
A government report released yesterday took federal fisheries regulators to task for their enforcement practices, particularly in the Northeast.
The report from the Inspector General's Office of the U.S. Commerce Department criticized the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's General Counsel for Enforcement and Litigation for its "heavy-handed and unfair enforcement" of fishermen that, if left unchecked, could "further strain the tenuous relationship that exists in the Northeast region." The report found the agency provides little guidance on its civil penalty assessment, leading to a prevailing view in the industry that the process is "arbitrary and unfair." Regulations in the Northeast were deemed overly complicated and "fine assessments...arbitrary." From July 2004 through June 2009, fines in the Northeast region totaled $5.5 million, two-and-a-half times the amount of fines levied in the second-highest region, the Southeast.
The report recommends establishing greater management and oversight of the agency's regional enforcement operations, strengthening policy procedures, restructuring staff and creating more transparency. Read the entire report.
NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco requested the report last June following numerous complaints from New England fishermen, according to Maine Public Broadcasting Network. Scott Smullen, a NOAA spokesman, told MPBN the organization plans to improve its system in response to the report.
Go to the article from MPBN >>
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