A proposal to redefine commercial fisherman in the town's waterways bylaws was tabled after a heated debate over mooring priorities. Article 26 sought to establish a requirement that an individual must derive 51% or more of their gross income from fishing to be classified as a commercial fisherman. Proponents like Kevin Norton of the Waterways Commission argued the threshold is necessary to protect limited commercial moorings for full-time professionals. This was done to protect those few moorings for people that were serious about becoming commercial fishermen, Norton said.

However, the 51% requirement met with stiff resistance from the fishing community. David Duffany moved to amend the article by removing the financial threshold, calling it intrusive and unenforceable. Duffany argued that many small boat fishermen work multiple jobs to survive and shouldn't be penalized. There's nowhere between Gloucester and Sandwich that requires a financial number to quantify or qualify your existence in a commercial business, Duffany stated. Faced with a stalemate between the commission and local mariners, the meeting voted 68% to 31% to table the article for further mediation.

Motion: To table Article 26.

Vote: Tabled by 2/3 Majority