MURRELLS INLET, N.C. — November 27, 2012 — Rick Baumann, owner of Murrells Inlet Seafood, said a new piece of legislation would be the first step in the right direction for the overregulated fisheries.
The Fisheries Investment and Regulatory Relief Act of 2012 (FIRRA) remains at the congressional committee level since its introduction in March.
The FIRRA bill calls for funding to support fisheries and fishing communities and to eliminate burdensome regulations. The bill also would lead to more research.
Locals in the fishing industry, including Baumann, hope the research could lead to further regulatory change to the Magnuson-Stevens Act which sets catch limits designed to prevent overfishing, but also has fishermen stuck at the docks.J. Dean Foster, with Foster Associates, a marketing group based in Charleston, said the congressional committee likely will debate the bill early next year. Foster is working with Pew Environment Group to drum up support for the bill.
That’s why he met with three men, including Baumann, in Murrells Inlet Monday.
“It’s our hope that our Republican delegation can reach across the aisle and see the need and support heard by their constituents regardless of who put their name on the bill,” Foster said. “That’s one of the reasons we’re reaching out to folks here and making them aware of it.”
Local fishermen, like Jay Davis, have been outspoken about the regulations which frequently force commercial fishers to stay docked. “Its pretty rough right now,” Davis said. “They’ve [the government] got everything shut off but just a few species that we don’t get paid a lot of money for.”
Davis wasn’t at the meeting with Foster and said he didn’t even know it was happening until too late. But, he hopes it was productive.
“I hope this meeting was about doing something to help us,” he said.
He has been fishing since 1995 and now struggles to make ends meet because he’s not allowed to catch and sell fish like black sea bass and grouper.
“It’s not an easy life to begin with and when [regulators] restrict us like this it just makes it harder,” he said.
When he’s forced to dock his boat, he said it’s like having his hands tied.
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