News release from Barney Frank
Congressman, 4th District, Massachusetts
2252 Rayburn Building · Washington, D.C. 20515 · (202) 225-5931
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November 19, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Peter Kovar 202-225-9400
FRANK URGES RECONSIDERATION OF SCALLOP PROPOSAL
Congressman Barney Frank yesterday urged the nation’s top fishery
official to reconsider a proposal that will likely lead to significant
harvest reductions in the Atlantic sea scallop fishery. In
a letter to James Balsiger, Acting Administrator of the National Marine
Fisheries Service (NMFS), Frank objected to the fact that the proposal
was based on NMFS concerns about the accidental taking of sea turtles
by scallop fishermen, despite the fact that the agency’s own data
indicates that scallop fishing poses no serious threat to the long-term
health of turtle populations.
The Congressman states in the
letter that the proposed changes “will not only have a negative
financial impact on the industry and on fishing communities, including
the greater New Bedford area, they also raise safety and conservation
concerns.” The proposal calls for reducing scallop fishing during
the warmer months – when turtles are more likely to be in fishing
grounds -- a change that would shift more scalloping to cold weather
months. In addition to the less safe conditions in colder
weather, scallops also tend to be smaller then, meaning that more would
need to be caught in order to reach relevant weight limits.
A copy of the letter can be accessed here.####
