SEABROOK – February 23, 2011 – Terming new federal fishing regulations "ridiculous," U.S. Rep. Frank Guinta yesterday promised local fishermen he'd work across party lines to develop a game plan to try to save the already endangered commercial fishing industry.
Guinta came to hear the concerns of fishermen from Seabrook, Hampton and Portsmouth who have seen their incomes slashed to fractions of what they once earned. His visit followed the decision late last week by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission to close the shrimp season six weeks early, causing dozens of New Hampshire fishermen to tie up their boats. The last day of the season will be Monday.
The shortening of shrimp season adds to the financial burden resulting from restrictions on groundfishing established by federal regulators at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency and the National Marine Fisheries Service. The new regulations caused fishing revenues to be reduced by about half, according to Bob Campbell, manager of Yankee Fisherman's, the last remaining fisherman's cooperative in the Granite State.
Previously, fishermen were limited by the number of days they could fish, but new regulations now restrict the number of pounds they can catch, fishermen told Guinta. The pound allocation is determined by regulators based on fishermen's recorded catch from 1996 through 2006. The local fishermen said that formula may work well for large fishing concerns, but it's devastating for small businessmen like themselves.
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