Federal fisheries chief orders review of management of New England fish stocks after criticism

Management of New England fishing to be reviewed

BOSTON — The head of the federal fisheries service has begun a review of how New England’s fish stocks are managed, months after a regional official called the process “antiquated and ineffective.”

Eric Schwaab, chief of the fisheries division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said Wednesday that the review should be done within a year. Officials hope the lessons learned from the review can be applied elsewhere.

The management system was criticized last year by John Pappalardo, chairman of the New England Fishery Management Council, which advises federal regulators on fishery rules.

Schwaab says Pappalardo raised a good point about how burdens have increased for regulators, policymakers and scientists but no one has looked at improving the system.