A heated debate over definitions for commercial fishermen and for-hire captains led Town Meeting to table a proposed update to the Waterways Bylaw. The most contentious point was a requirement that 51 percent of a person's gross income must come from fishing or chartering to qualify for commercial status.

Resident David Duffany led the opposition, arguing the rule was intrusive and failed to account for the reality of modern fishermen who often hold multiple jobs. There's nowhere between Gloucester and Sandwich that requires a financial number to qualify your existence in a commercial business, Duffany said. You're unable to enforce the 51%. Are you going to make someone fish on a day they shouldn't just to meet a landing threshold?

Proponents, including members of the Waterways Commission, argued the threshold was necessary to protect a limited number of commercial moorings for full-time professionals. Select Board Vice Chair Susan Harrison noted that without such a rule, hobbyists with captain's licenses could take up moorings meant for the working fleet. However, a motion to table the article passed with 68 percent support, leaving the existing rules in place for now.

Motion: To table Article 26.

Vote: Passed