August 16, 2021 — North Carolina commercial fishermen have complained for decades that government regulations and a variety of other factors threaten their livelihood and have them headed the way of endangered species.
Glenn Skinner of Newport, executive director of the North Carolina Fisheries Association an advocacy group of commercial fishermen, said statistics back that up.
According to the state Division of Marine Fisheries, the number of people with commercial licenses who sold seafood has dropped more than 50 percent since 2001.
The number was 4,273 in 2001 and it was 1,897 in 2020 — a decline of 2,376.
“These declines are the result of many different factors. with regulations, the fear of future regulations or outright bans on commercial fishing gears being a significant factor,” Skinner said.