NEW BEDFORD — Congress "needs to hit the reset button" on the Magnuson-Stevens Act that governs commercial fishing, Mayor Jon Mitchell said Tuesday at a press conference to introduce a state-funded report aimed at helping the local groundfish industry and the port of New Bedford.

Magnuson lies at the root of many problems, concluded the six authors led by economics professor emeritus Dan Georgianna of UMass Dartmouth and Rodney Avila, a longtime local boat owner and activist.

NOAA, the arm of Congress charged with implementing the law, tilts the playing field against fishermen by imposing "conservation for conservation's sake," said Kate Kramer, CEO of the city-based Center for Sustainable Fisheries.

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