A conservation law is pitting the nation's coastal fishing communities against environmental groups.
Thousands of fishermen, boat captains, and shop owners from New Jersey, Florida and Alaska plan to rally on Capitol Hill next week for Congress' help.
The groups want to change the Magnuson-Stevens Act, which limits fishing for depleted stocks and requires that they be replenished within 10 years. They say lawmakers could save thousands of jobs by easing that time limit.
The fishermen are up against more than 60 environmental groups and hundreds of scientists who oppose the move, arguing it will lead to exploitation of vulnerable fish populations.