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Patrick calls for technology to improve accuracy of fish counts

E-mail|Link|Comments () March 8, 2010 01:02 PM

By Brian Ballou and John R. Ellement, Globe Staff

NEW BEDFORD -- Governor Deval Patrick today said federal regulators and researchers should use the newest technology as they make crucial calculations about the vibrancy of fish stocks off the Massachusetts coastline.

Speaking at a summit on the fishing industry being at the New Bedford Whaling Museum, Patrick noted that representatives of the fishing industry were among the first people he met after he took office in 2006. He also noted the historic link between the industry and the Bay State.

"We know fishing in Massachusetts,'' he said. "We've been at it for centuries.''

Federal regulators frequently come under fire from fishermen for the techniques used to provide estimates of the populations of fish and other sea life routinely harvested for markets. The industry historically complains that regulators and researchers undercount stocks.

Patrick today said he wants the most accurate information available and called for the deployment of any type of technology that would improve the quality of fish stock estimates. "We cannot make sound decisions based on old data,'' Patrick said. "And we cannot make them based on emotions…For the fisherman, it's simple -- no fish no jobs.''

The summit is scheduled to address a wide range of issues facing the industry, including a new regulatory scheme that scallopers who call New Bedford their home port fear will devastate their industry.