BOSTON — Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown and New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte have introduced a bill that could scrap a contentious new system for managing New England’s fisheries.
Under the bill the two Republicans introduced today, New England’s program would be terminated if more than 15 percent of participating fishermen lost their jobs in the first year. The new system finished its first year in May, but it’s not yet known if the 15 percent threshold was reached.
The bill would also require fishermen to vote to approve future management systems.
Under the new system, fishermen pool their individually allotted shares of the fish catch and are held to tough catch limits. Some fishermen say their allotments were unfairly low and the system will force out small-boat fishermen in favor of wealthier boat owners.
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