March 30, 2015 — For nearly 400 years, our fishing industry has helped sustain our local economy, providing thousands of steady jobs and millions of dollars in economic opportunities. Those who brave the rocky shoals and often white capped waters off our coast help make New Hampshire a premier tourist destination.
Whether chartering a fishing boat with friends and family in Rye or consuming a fresh lobster at Markey’s Lobster Pool in Seabrook, our state’s fishing industry remains a crucial piece of our state’s economy.
Unfortunately, we now find our fishermen contending with more than just bad weather and tangled nets. Due to increasing and ever changing federal regulations, they are constantly fighting against stringent rules which threaten to put an end to this historic industry. Catch quotas, government-mandated vessel observers, increased costs of doing business, restrictions on catching grounds — the list of regulations challenging the financial health and sustainability of our fishing industry are endless.
As you may know, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) recently proposed a rule for consideration by the United States Department of Commerce to help mitigate the effects of significant reductions in quota in recent years. The Commerce Department has yet to finalize this proposed rule which is absolutely critical to implement before the upcoming fishing season. This proposal follows on the heels of a winter where they were not permitted to fish for groundfish at all.
As your representative to Washington, I will do everything in my power to alleviate the challenges impacting our Seacoast region and fishing industry.
Read the full opinion piece at Seacoast Online