'Science' says: Fishermen, jobs, family suspiciously middle class, so must disappear. Obama backs ocean diva despite calls for firing

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• On calls for Obama NOAA pick to step down, Obama says she stays, 7/13/10,"Lawyer cites ethics issues with NOAA counsel funds," Gloucester Times, R. Gaines

• 8/26/10, "Local fishermen protest regulations during Obama's Vineyard visit," NECN, A. Palumbo, New Bedford, Mass.

"The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, has said these new regulations are critical to the long-term health of the fishing industry because they say the stocks here have been over-fished.

• But fishermen say NOAA's numbers are outdated and

• the science they're basing it on is flawed....

Ground fisherman Mark Phillips said, "We're not allowed to catch the fish that are out there because

• the science says the fish aren't there, but what we see is completely different."

So without many other options, these fishermen are taking their message to the man at the top - hoping President Obama will hear their concerns.

Vanesse said, "This administration has said its stated policy is to protect jobs and create jobs and yet you've got an administration that

• is actually implementing regulations that are taking away jobs."...

Several fishing vessels left New Bedford, Massachusetts this morning headed for Martha's Vineyard - to crash the President's vacation and try to get him to listen to their concerns about new fishing regulations.

Gloucester Fisherman Vito Giacalone said, "This is commerce, these are businesses and they're supposed to maximize the benefit of the natural resource to the nation and we're actually managing them into the toilet

• at a time when we're on the cusp of having them fully rebuilt."

Local fishermen say they're frustrated by the "catch share" rules put in place May first that put

• strict numbers on the amount of fish they can catch,
  
• limit the number of days they can fish, and
  
• reduce the areas in which they are allowed to fish.

"Bob Vanesse, executive director of the fishing industry public relations group "Saving Seafood" said, "A catch share system can be well designed and can work well,

• this system that's in place in New England is not and it's causing a great deal of disruption, it's causing people to lose their jobs.""...

from Gloucester Times, 8/24, "Fishing Leaders target NOAA data," by R. Gaines

• "The toxic mix, they agreed, was the combination of the catch share system, which encourages the bartering of fish catching rights as virtual commodities and a hyper contraction in the overall volume of fish in the year's allocation.
  
• The latter stems from language written into the last two iterations of the federal Magnuson-Stevens Act.

"Overall," said Fuka, "there just isn't enough fish to get the boats through the year."

About one-third of the fishermen are facing fiscal insolvency, Fuka said.

• As in Gloucester and New Bedford, the failing businesses typically divest assets, which
  
• include catch share allocations and permits.

In Gloucester, said Giacalone — policy director with the Gloucester-based Northeast Seafood Coalition — at least four boats have been decommissioned already, and others are expected.

• Overall, he estimated, the Gloucester fleet is working with an allocation about half the size of last year's.

"All the ills of a poorly conceived (catch share) system are rearing their heads early," Giacalone said.

• Responding to a question, he said the system in place resembles that in Major League Baseball around the trading deadline, where teams that believe they can make the playoffs are buying talent while also-rans are selling them off....

"Folks with enough allocation are buying more; those that lost initially are in serious trouble, competing with the (haves).

• "(NOAA) hasn't to date addressed the socio-economic impacts sufficiently," he added.

Canastra said of the groundfishing boats of New Bedford 14 percent have been decommissioned and only 39 percent are working actively.

• The fishing industry's push for changes this week isn't limited to Tuesday's conference."...
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NOAA data can't be believed on any topic based on recent events, 8/16 report on corrupt NOAA data. Lack of supervision, standards, and consequences are not new at NOAA but are more acute today.
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• ap photos of boats today near Vineyard Haven

8/18/10, Senator Kerry seeks bailout for desperate fishing industry, American Thinker.

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