The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is mismanaging enforcement in the fishing industry, especially in the Northeast region, according to a report released today by the U.S. Inspector General's office.

Maine Sen. Olympia Snowe says she's "appalled" by a new report that finds deep management problems in the federal agency charged with regulating the nation's fisheries.

The report released today by the Inspector General's office in the U.S. Department of Commerce says its review of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration found "systemic, nationwide issues adversly affecting NOAA's ability to effectively carry out its mission of regulating the fishing industry."

"I am appalled at the stunning breadth and depth of the Inspector General's findings of gross mismanagement within all levels of NOAA's law enforcement community," Snowe says in a statement. "That the Agency would allow its agents to continue running roughshod over hardworking fishermen, employing a law enforcement force consisting of 90 percent criminal investigators when the vast majority of its cases are civil in nature is by all accounts a travesty."

According to the report, the management issues have led to a "dysfunctional relationship between NOAA and the fishing industry--particularly in the Northeast region."

Snowe says she's considering crafting legislation to ensure that fishermen are "treated fairly" in the regulatory process.

To read the entire report, click here.