The Baker administration’s dramatic reshaping of a state fisheries board by removing seven of its nine members has roiled the industry, stirring worries among recreational fishermen that policies could tilt in favor of the commercial sector.
State environmental officials quietly replaced the Marine Fisheries Advisory Commission members last Friday, after a disagreement last year over who should serve as the division’s director. The board blocked Governor Charlie Baker’s choice for the job, later choosing longtime division official David Pierce as director.
The housecleaning also prompted longtime insiders to question Baker’s intentions for one of the state’s iconic industries.
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