Waterways Bylaw Tabled Following Heated Debate Over Commercial Fisherman Income Requirements
Key Points
- Article 26 proposed requiring commercial fishermen to earn 51% of their income from fishing to keep moorings.
- Fishermen argued the requirement was intrusive and not standard in other Massachusetts ports.
- The article was tabled by a 68% vote due to significant community disagreement.
A proposal to redefine Commercial Fisherman
and For Hire Captain
in Scituate’s waterways bylaws was tabled after a contentious debate regarding a proposed 51% gross income requirement. Article 26 aimed to tighten mooring eligibility, but the proposal faced immediate backlash from the local fishing community.
Resident David Duffany moved to strike the 51% income requirement, calling it intrusive and noting that no other towns between Gloucester and Sandwich require a financial number to qualify a commercial business. There's nowhere... that requires a financial number to quantify or qualify your existence,
Duffany argued. However, Waterways Commission Chair Dave Denine and resident Kevin Norton supported the threshold, stating it was necessary to protect limited mooring spaces for full-time professionals rather than those simply seeking specialized permits.
The amendment to remove the income requirement failed, but the overall tension in the room led resident Chris Cara to move to table the entire article. Cara stated that the dissension in the ranks
proved the bylaw was not yet ready for adoption. The motion to table passed with a 68% majority, sending the issue back for further refinement.
Motion: I move to table Article 26.
Vote: Passed by 2/3 Majority (68% to 31%)