The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is considering a renovation of its long-standing Cape Cod science facility, prompting some to lobby for it to move to the fishing hub of New Bedford.
The federal government has located a marine research facility at Woods Hole, in Falmouth, since 1871. Today, NOAA's Northeast Fisheries Science Center operates in the hamlet in a facility built in the 1960s.
NOAA is in the early stages of considering a renovation plan for the facility, which is aging, crowded and short on laboratory space. A consortium of local and state officials from the New Bedford area is lobbying for the facility to move to the historic city.
Democratic New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell says the move would bring regulators and fishermen closer together and build trust.
