Kerry understands fishermen's plight

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By Jim Keding
Jim Keding is a fisherman. He lives in Plymouth.
October 24, 2011 12:00 AM
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I think we can all agree that our government should help us, not hurt us, when it comes to putting in a hard day's work and providing for our families. I've asked time and again for them to fix their mistake that cost me my boat, with no luck. I even called Sen. John Kerry for help, and I'm glad I did. Once I made the call to Kerry's office, I was connected to Amy Kerrigan. Since that first phone call she has been investigating my situation tirelessly. It's nice to have someone that fights for you like it's their own fight. Not only has Sen. Kerry been there for me, so has his staff. I know the federal regulators in Washington haven't always been up front on these issues, but Kerry convinced me that he gets what we're up against and he's taking this issue very seriously and personally to get a just resolution to my case.

In my case, I couldn't have asked for more. Kerry has practically made my fight his own, and he's still standing by my side to help get the fair deal I deserve. I also know he's made the phone calls, written the letters, insisted on the meetings and forced the right people to get together, and he's been relentless in his bottom line that we need to do more to protect the New England fishery and stop the death of the small boat fleet.

As fishermen, we know the fish are out there because we see them each day with our own eyes and sacrificed all of the closures and low trip limits over the last 15 years to bring them back. Now Kerry's working to get more money for research so regulators will have the information we do, and the best data available so they can adjust allocations to keep up with stocks that are growing. And most importantly, he wants to make sure the decisions on how to use those funds are made at the local level, by those of us who know fishing first-hand.

John Kerry's been out on the front lines for us on this one, and I'm glad he is. He's doing what a senior senator should do, using his clout, and the work he's doing on our behalf in Washington may be my last best shot to getting back to what I love.

Good to read. There is obviously a real issue with these problems and it is good to see somebody show some empathy, rather than making this a campaign issue.