Our View: SMAST poised to bring valuable change

One element that will be absolutely necessary on the path to sustainable fisheries is trust, and one that must be absolutely avoided is that one group or person can supply the solution.

The UMass Dartmouth School of Marine Science and Technology is perfectly poised to satisfy both those requirements.

SMAST Dean Steve Lohrenz tells The Standard-Times he relishes the chance to stand as a facilitator, mediator, diplomat among the competing interests. He wants to bridge the gap, for example, between the intuitive, experience-based knowledge of fishermen and the fine scientists of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. (Some would take exception to any complimentary characterization of NOAA's work, but Lohrenz recognizes it's not the scientists to blame for inappropriate enforcement of inadequate or simply bad policy.)

Lohrenz told the editorial board on Tuesday that UMD Chancellor Divina Grossman has charged him with the twin tasks of building external partnerships and strengthening the quality of SMAST's output by leveraging statewide university assets.

We can imagine seeing industry representatives and environmentalists both agreeing to help overcome the funding challenges SMAST faces as state and federal funds wane, giving the parties an incentive to engage in reasonable debate.

Fishermen already trust SMAST research such as the scallop surveys that saved the fleet and make New Bedford the richest port for seafood landings in the U.S. year after year.

Lohrenz was recently appointed as co-director of the Marine Fisheries Institute, a collaboration between UMass and the state Department of Marine Fisheries, to the chagrin of many supporters of the former co-director, Dr. Brian Rothschild, a man held in high esteem by colleagues around the world, fishermen and this newspaper.

No one should underestimate Rothschild's impact on New Bedford's fortunes, but the approach needed when his and SMAST colleague Kevin Stokesbury's work on scallops changed those fortunes was in a regulatory environment very different than it is today: Abuses of NOAA enforcement have been uncovered, agency leadership has changed at many levels, even the natural environment has become a different player in the game. Not that Rothschild couldn't continue to have success as co-director, but the change may play well in the minds of those stakeholders who had to eat humble pie as a result of work done under him.

The job of pulling strong, actionable results from diverse stakeholders requires SMAST to play a much greater role in outreach, and Lohrenz is in position to help bring diverse players to the table. It's a hot-seat, to be sure, but it's also an opportunity with an unlimited upside for the school, the industry and the oceans.

Reader Reaction
Not sure how to add your comment? Here's how
Top Jobs
Top Homes