BARNEGAT LIGHT – U.S. Rep. Jon Runyan wants commercial and recreational fishermen to be able to catch more fish, and in the process create more jobs.
Runyan, R-3rd, held a news conference Wednesday afternoon at the Viking Village fish docks to announce legislation he introduced to ratchet back federal fishing regulations. He said his bill would preserve fishing jobs in coastal communities that are in jeopardy because of overly strict regulations.
"This is really something we wanted to tackle," said Runyan, a former professional football player.
"You're at a critical point with jobs. You're talking about an industry hanging on. I campaigned on common sense. The bureaucrats in Washington think it makes sense to shut fisheries down, but they don't look at the consequences."
Runyan said he introduced legislation Friday called the American Angler Preservation Act to counteract years of overly aggressive conservation. The act would amend the nation's primary federal fishing law, the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, a 1976 law originally designed to end foreign fishing off U.S. shores but reauthorized in 1996 and 2006 with strict catch limits and stock rebuilding plans pushed by environmental groups.
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