Fisherman from New England to Florida stood united on the steps of the U.S. Capitol this afternoon. They are demanding changes to a federal fisheries law they say is killing jobs and eroding fishing communities. More than 3,00 fishermen – some commercial, many recreational – were far from their element Wednesday.
"I'm so glad to see fishermen from New York to Florida up to Massachusetts down the whole coast," said Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) who spoke at the United We Fish rally on the nation's capitol.
The rally has been in the works for years to draw attention to the 2007 Magnuson-Stevens Act — a bill that puts strict limits on when, how much, and what fishermen can catch.
"Amazingly enough," said Schumer, "the Magnuson Act considers many factors in rebuilding stock but it doesn't have a thing to do or say about the the impact on coastal communities."
"It's keeping you out of work, it's keeping the tackle shop out of work, it's keeping the hotel out of work, it's keeping the restaurants out of work," said Senator George LeMieux of Florida.
Fisherman Tony Bogan hopes the rally will draw cross-country attention to the crisis he finds himself in. "Fisheries that are being rebuilt around the nation are still being shutdown and closed off to fishermen despite the fact that they're being rebuilt."
The goal of the Magnuson-Stevens Act is to protect over-fished waters and help rebuild fish stocks. But Bogan says more than 80-percent of the major fisheries along the U.S. coastline are replete with healthy fish, yet remain off limits.
Sen. Schumer is a co-sponsor of a new bill called the Flexibility in Rebuilding American Fisheries. It would loosen some of the fishing restrictions, and require scientific evidence to support future limits.
"We need sound scientific findings that put the needs of fishermen and fish on the same playing field," he said to the crowd.
Massachusetts State Senator Bruce Tarr of Gloucester went to Washington to support the changes which he calls the salvation of fishermen in New England. They "would allow more reasonable rebuilding timelines it would still achieve conservation goals but also sustain fishing communities."
Sen. Tarr hopes the rally will help push the bill through congress where it faltered in 2008.
"We don't have a minute to spare we're losing commercial fishing boats, we're losing the ability to fish recreational, this makes all the sense in the world, it's not an unreasonable measure."
See the complete video at NECN.