Saving Seafood

NORTH CAROLINA: Watermen, locals descend on Raleigh to fight fisheries bill

June 14, 2017 — Hundreds of commercial fishermen and their families, along with local government and agency leaders spent Wednesday walking the halls of the North Carolina Legislative Building in an effort to battle a bill they say could shut down the entire industry.

House Bill 867 would attempt to rewrite the Fisheries Reform Act, which is the body of statutes that provides the framework for fisheries management in North Carolina.

The event was organized by North Carolina Watermen United and the North Carolina Fisheries Association.

Those who came to support the bill were instructed by Jerry Schill, director of government affairs for the NCFA, to visit with as many legislators as possible to share their stories of how the measure would be detrimental to their livelihoods.

But just as opponents were arriving on Jones Street in Downtown Raleigh, many wearing white T-shirts and red buttons calling for a no vote, word trickled out that the legislation was being amended.

Rep. Beverly Boswell, R-Kill Devil Hills, told a gathering of local officials from Dare County and commercial fishing business leaders and advocates that legislators were working on possible changes to the bill until 1:30 a.m. Wednesday.

Boswell gave the group a list of legislators to talk with about the potential impact to not just the fishing industry, but Dare County and North Carolina as a whole.

Read the full story at The Outer Banks Voice

North Carolina fishing fight moves inland

June 7, 2017 — The long-running battle between commercial and recreational fishermen moved Tuesday to Raleigh, where both sides and lawmakers parried with their poles and nets over a proposal to put more regulations on commercial fishing along the North Carolina coast.

House Bill 867 puts fisheries conservation and management at the core of the state Marine Fisheries Commission’s duties. It also eliminates the concept of a “sustainable harvest” by commercial fishermen and says fishing stock must be managed scientifically to ensure species aren’t overfished.

“Strike the word ‘conservation’ and replace it with ‘allocation,'” Glen Skinner, a Carteret County commercial fisherman, told members of the House Committee on Wildlife Resources. “This is about reallocating resources from one to the next.”

“This is not about conservation,” said Pam Morris, president of Carteret Catch, which promotes local seafood and fishermen. “This is a power grab by some to further control fisheries.”

“Environment produces my fish, not regulations,” said Terry Pratt, president of the Albemarle Fishermen’s Association.

The commercial side disputed the notion that fish stocks along the coast are declining, with state Rep.

Beverly Boswell, R-Dare, pointing to a record shrimp harvest in recent years.

Read the full story at WRAL 5