It is informed that a new regulation that requires boats already registered with the federal government, through the U.S. Coast Guard’s documentation program, to register with the state as well. Until now, only one of the two was required. It is told that the biggest shrimp boats in this area would be charged no more than $150 or so. But fishermen who have persevered through low shrimp prices, high fuel costs and a parade of destructive hurricanes and now, due to legal entanglements, won’t be getting tariff money they were promised to offset the effects of illegally dumped low-price imported shrimp — say the hurt is more than financial.
Local legislators, who say they didn’t realize the potential effect of the law that authorizes the state Department of Wildlife and Fisheries to collect the new fees, have pledged to amend or repeal it. Fishermen are wary, however, and say they won’t be comfortable until the rule is eliminated.
Experts believe that the regulation’s initial passage has also made for a strained relationship between shrimpers and elected officials they thought were in their corner. Connie Foret, who with her husband Billy owns the 73-foot trawler Miss Connie Ann, questions the need for “rules on top of rules on top of rules.” She said that if the authority keep putting regulations on us, they’ll be out of a job because we are going to be out of a job.
State Rep. Jerry “Truck” Gisclair, D-Larose, has already sent a repeal of the law to legislative attorneys for review. He added that enforcement of the law is at the discretion of the Secretary of the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, who may decide when and how it is enforced. He also told that less clear right now is how recreational vessels already documented by the Coast Guard will be handled.
