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2) Support programs intend to enhance the understanding of the general pubhc 

 about the problems and challenges facing northeastern manne fisheries. The gen- 

 eral citizenry doesn't understand the arcane fishery management system, the extent 

 of the problem of over-fishing, linkages of pollution, by-catch and a system which 

 promotes wasteful fishing practices. The general public needs to be more involved 

 m the fishery management process, but to do so effectively they need to receive ob- 

 jective balanced information about the issues surrounding the resource. 



3) Underwrite efforts to enhance the development of interdisciplinary curricula 

 for fisheries research institutions, to strengthen study of ecological principles, soci- 

 ology, social anthropology, leadership development, mediation, and other skills. This 

 would produce better-trained professionals who are capable of dealing with the com- 

 plex socio-economic problems they face in their jobs. 



4) Support efforts to educate the general public about the Gulf of Maine as a bio- 

 region and the role of fisheries there-in. 



5) Support education and public awareness efforts designed to integrate fisheries 

 conservation with broader scale marine and coastal resource conservation concerns 

 and initiatives. 



6) Support opportunities to provide technological backing/training to entre- 

 preneurs with limited skills. Support training to enhance the business skills of those 

 fishers who will remain in the industry, particularly strengthening harvesters abil- 

 ity to enhance their marketing. Also, retraining programs to facilitate the shift of 

 fishers into other enterprises not related to the fishing industry. 



7) Develop a network of regional resource centers focused on the natural re- 

 sources of the region, including the fisheries. 



8) Redefine the vocabulary of commercial fishing to refiect realities. Eliminate 

 phrases and concepts such as "under-utilized species" and "by-catch" which foster 

 misconceptions about the status of the resources and management priorities and 

 practices. 



Science and Research 



1) Strengthen and expand the sea sampler program particularly by expanding ob- 

 server coverage of selected fisheries. (To date less than 2 percent of the trawl fishery 

 has been covered.) 



2) Support efforts to rapidly analyze data collected in sea sampling programs and 

 ;et it back to the fishermen, so they know what is being developed on their boats, 

 t can be one of the most effective vehicles for building bridges between environ- 

 mental community, NMFS, and fishing groups. It is one of the few positive function- 

 ing links between the fishermen and the conservation communiW. 



3) Fill gaps in fisheries analysis now being carried out by NMFS and related in- 

 stitutions. Only the most pressing issues have been addressed to date. There has 

 been little or no research on critical issues such as technical factors contributing to 

 by-catch. 



4) Strengthen role of non-governmental science in fishery and reduce the domi- 

 nance of federal government controlled science. Fisheries research is dominated al- 

 most exclusively by the federal government today, their science receives little peer 

 review and is often subject to charges of political manipulation. Private fisheries re- 

 search needs to be strengthened and federal fisheries science need story be opened 

 to the outside world. 



5) Strengthen collaboration between research institutions. Provide seed funding 

 to assess the potential for developing a formal consortium of research institutions. 



6) Support research on predator/prey relationships to determine potential impact 

 of shifting fishing pressures to currently non-targeted species. What will the effect 

 be of developing markets and increasing the catch of mackerel and herring on pe- 

 lagic species and marine mammals populations? 



7) Support applied research examining options for reducing mortality of marine 

 mammals from fishing activities. Develop funding sources, e.g. revolving loan funds 

 or direct grant programs to help financially strapped fishermen pay for the costs of 

 acquiring and using the gear that works. 



8) Strengthen support for applied academic/industry research on gear develop- 

 ment, aquaculture, new fishing techniques, ecological economics and social effects of 

 industry collapse. Determine the potential impact of different transition strategies 

 and assess to what extent fishermen are capable of cooperative activity. 



9) Provide support for the testing of new alternative fishing techniques and strat- 

 egies and gear. Focus on conservation engineering, specifically technological adjust- 

 ments to reduce waste. Coordinate through the industry, and the industry should 

 help pay the costs. Most fishermen publicly resist this concept, privately many have 

 indicated they can and will support it — if they can be assured that control won't be 



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