June 23, 2014 — Suffolk County Legislator Jay Schneiderman (I-Montauk) says the quota system set up for fisherman in New York State is discriminatory and asks Suffolk County to take legal action on behalf of commercial fisherman
On Monday, Schneiderman announced that he has filed legislation asking the County Attorney to explore legal action against the Federal Government on behalf of Suffolk’s commercial fishermen.
Suffolk County has the largest commercial fishing fleet in New York State. Schneiderman believes that since most of New York’s commercial fishing fleet is located in Suffolk County, the County may have a legal right to sue on behalf of the fisherman.
Current federally imposed quotas allow neighboring states to take twice the amount of fish per vessel that New York’s fishermen are permitted. The quota system, said Schneiderman, is based on a faulty and arbitrary methodology that punishes New York’s fishermen for the record keeping practices of a generation ago.
Federal regulation of New York’s commercial fishing fleet began shortly after the Magnuson Stevens Act (MSA) was signed into law by Congress in 1976. The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is the lead agency in regulating federal fisheries.
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