July 10, 2024 — Raymond Lofstad and Gus Lovgren are both fourth-generation commercial fishermen running small-scale operations in the Mid-Atlantic. Raymond has fished in Long Island for over 45 years. Gus, who recently took over his father’s fishing boat, has operated out of New Jersey for over 20 years. Both possess the necessary permits to fish for flounder, scup, and black sea bass in the federal waters off the coast of the Mid-Atlantic. But a regulation adopted by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council will reduce the amount of these fish that commercial fishermen may catch every year, reallocating the harvest in favor of recreational fishermen.
Over their long fishing careers, Raymond and Gus have fed countless American families. All the while, they have shared the ocean’s bounty with their fellow commercial fishermen and those who fish recreationally. Now, due to this regulatory change, they face tens of thousands of dollars in lost annual revenue. For Gus, the loss in revenue will also force him to spend more time at sea, losing precious time with his family, including his two young daughters.
Whether for food or for fun, ocean fisheries are under the watchful eye of government regulators. States handle the shoreline while the feds, under the Magnuson-Stevens Fisheries Conservation and Management Act, govern waters from three to 200 nautical miles offshore.
Regional councils established under Magnuson-Stevens are charged with regulating federal waters to maximize fisheries’ long-term benefits. Raymond and Gus are two of the many fishermen regulated by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, which covers all federal waters off the coast of the Mid-Atlantic, from the tip of Long Island to the middle of North Carolina.