Fishing summit to be held at whaling museum Monday


Event: Northeast Fisheries Summit

When: Monday, 9 a.m.

Where: The Whaling Museum, 18 Johnny Cake Hill, New Bedford
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NEW BEDFORD — Political leaders and fisheries regulators are expected to join industry representatives Monday at a daylong discussion billed as the Northeast Fisheries Summit.

The summit, open to the public at the New Bedford Whaling Museum, comes at a time of high tension between regulators and the industry. The latter has been fighting back against what it views as overly restrictive catch allocations and harsh and arbitrary fisheries law enforcement.

The meeting is being co-hosted by Mayor Scott W. Lang's Ocean and Fisheries Council, the UMass School for Marine Science and Technology and the Massachusetts Marine Fisheries Institute.

U.S. Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., is expected to attend along with Eric Schwaab, newly appointed as assistant administrator for fisheries at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Industry leaders, scientists, elected officials, environmentalists and government officials from across the Northeast have been invited.

"We all recognize the importance of achieving a sustainable fisheries management plan," Lang said. "I look forward to an open discussion about how we can ensure a balance of sensible conservation practices with the economic vitality of the fishing industry."

The summit will include panel discussions on catch shares and sectors, scallops and scallop by-catch, and amending the Magnuson-Stevens Act.

The event will begin at 9 a.m. Monday at the Whaling Museum, 18 Johnny Cake Hill. The public is welcome.

Steve Urbon