March 1, 2017 — For months at a time, fisherman Dennis Aultman lives on his boat, the “Bertie P,” where he said he spends his time trawling along places like the “the Pamlico Sound and out off of the beach off of Ocracoke and Kitty Hawk.”
He’s just one of hundreds of North Carolina fishermen who said any changes to the industry would affect their livelihoods.
The N.C. Wildlife Federation introduced a petition last November to the state Division of Marine Fisheries that adds new regulations on shrimpers.
“I don’t understand why they want to shut us down,” said Aultman. “It creates jobs for a lot of people other than just us.”
But David Knight of the N.C. Wildlife Federation said the organization sees the regulations as a necessity.
“Those that are saying this is about banning shrimp trawling in North Carolina are incorrect,” said Knight. “That statement is untrue. If you look at our petition and read it closely, we want there to be more restriction on these nursery areas.”