East End anglers rally on Capitol Hill
Fishermen say they're drowning in government regulation
7 comments below
Captains Richard Jensen (from left), Phil Kess and Bob Rocchetta, professional fishermen based in Orient Point, represented the North Fork at last Wednesday's protest against federal fishing regulations in Washington, D.C.
The story was the same for thousands of other professional anglers who came from the as far as the Florida Keys, California and Alaska to rally outside the Capitol last Wednesday.
Alongside officials that included Congressman Tim Bishop (D-Southampton), Senator Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), Congressman John Tierney (D-Mass.) and Senator Barney Frank (D-Mass.), the 3,000 participants in "United We Fish" protested catch regulations that they say have put many lifelong fishermen across the country out of business for good.
Phil Cursio, a member of the New Jersey-based Recreational Fishing Alliance, joined about 3,000 other anglers from across the country in Washington last Wednesday to demand a more flexible approach to federal fishing regulations.
Mr. Rocchetta, who has attended similar local and state rallies over the years but never one in Washington, D.C., said that the catch limits are based on flawed science. He added that people in the fishing community are not driven to protest by greed or an unwillingness to change. They just want to be able to catch some fish and pay their bills, he said.
"We're family people," he said. "We're not being arrogant and stubborn, but Magnuson-Stevens is making us do this. We're not asking them to get rid of it, we're asking them to soften the blow, because these fish are coming back. I don't make the rules, but I am a victim of them."
"We pretty much all agree on the same thing: We need flexibility in the Magnuson-Stevens Act," he said. "And we're not saying there doesn't need to be regulation, but there are ways to harvest certain fish appropriately. We need to re-look at these things."
Sen. Schumer and Representative Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) have introduced legislation to ease provisions in Magnuson-Stevens' strict 10-year plan to rebuild fish stocks. Spearheaded by Congressman Tierney, a review of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's fisheries enforcement efforts is currently under way in the historic fishing city of Gloucester, Mass.
Though Eric Schwaab, NOAA's assistant administrator for fisheries, said he "recognizes and appreciates the sacrifices" being made by today's fishermen, he told the crowd at the rally that "more than 20 percent of the nation's fish stocks are overfished and need to be rebuilt to larger, healthier populations so that they can produce their full economic potential for fishermen, coastal communities and the nation."
Mr. Schwaab cited sea scallops, monkfish, bluefish and Gulf of Mexico king mackerel as fisheries that were successfully rebuilt under Magnuson-Stevens. He added that the act "already contains the flexibility" needed to rebuild stocks by allowing "certain exceptions based on biology and other issues."
"Balancing rebuilding for the long-term health of coastal communities with the immediate economic effects remains a challenge for everyone involved in implementing the act's mandate to end overfishing," Mr. Schwaab said.
Mr. Bishop said later that it's "always hard to measure the impact" of a rally at the Capitol, but he was confident that there was a "broad bipartisan coalition of members of Congress who represent coastal states with the same concerns as the fishermen."
"We all want to see these fish stocks rebuilt and maintained -- no one is arguing that," he said. "What we have to do now is find the right way to balance that rebuilding with allowing the livelihoods that are essential for tens of thousands of people."
Mark Phillips, a Greenport-based commercial fisherman for three decades, said he was glad the demonstration brought commercial and recreational fishermen together -- a rarity in the everyday world.
"Normally the recreational and commercial guys are at odds with one another," Mr. Phillips said. "But we're all saying the same thing now. We're not greedy, we just want to make a living. We can't get unemployment if we can't catch fish. We don't have the same rights as other working people."
When April rolls around, Mr. Rocchetta will start fishing for fluke, but with the catch limit down to only two per person under the current law, he can't see many people flocking to book a $100 day trip with Rainbow Charters.
"These are working class people," he said of his clientele. "They need more than a suntan to justify a day of recreation."
eschultz@timesreview.com
The Suffolk Times is pleased to offer readers the ability to comment on stories. We expect our readers to engage in lively, yet civil discourse. The Suffolk Times does not edit user submitted statements and we cannot promise that readers will not occasionally find offensive or inaccurate comments posted in the comments area. Responsibility for the statements posted lies with the person submitting the comment, not The Suffolk Times. Please be reminded, however, that in accordance with our Terms of Service and federal law, we are under no obligation to remove any third party comments posted on our website.
7 comments found
kNwrMjMWburFvnlXEPZ : 8/29/2011
kW2EBX , [url=http://mctbseybdwoq.com/]mctbseybdwoq[/url], [link=http://jukbfyndynls.com/]jukbfyndynls[/link], http://evklasgizsdy.com/
coEFlzusflIeyKKkas : 8/16/2011
FADYso , [url=http://yideweogfcbm.com/]yideweogfcbm[/url], [link=http://asfbkjmwvnka.com/]asfbkjmwvnka[/link], http://tbrpwlnnlesl.com/
wODndQZihVNEcz : 8/14/2011
One or two to remmeebr, that is.
ypvikzhjUWccsfZRG : 5/1/2011
prQWiN , [url=http://rorconnwapwg.com/]rorconnwapwg[/url], [link=http://sufylkvnyiag.com/]sufylkvnyiag[/link], http://qnailvupwyqm.com/
SIPcrPIcOXXTs : 4/30/2011
AFAIC that's the best asenwr so far!
fishing business : 2/3/2011
hey bob,
come to texas, where they don't have such regulations....lifestyle is cheaper, all round.
anglers : 3/7/2010
Not to make a political point here, but I didn't see the mention of any Republican Representatives willing to help. Are they just saying NO to this as well?
Good luck anglers. It's high time for some slack here.
You all deserve it!
