Rally organizers United We Fish said that the policies of the government are destroying the fabric of coastal communities. The rally is expected to take place on the steps of the Capitol from noon to 3 p.m. Representative Tim Bishop, who recently accused the National Marine Fisheries Service of compromising the system of fisheries data collection on Long Island, will be on the steps with the fishermen.
Although the rally was organized by the Recreational Fishing Alliance to protest “the unintended negative impacts of the Magnuson-Stevens Conservation and Management Act” (the law regulating marine fisheries), commercial fishermen are expected to participate as well. Bonnie Brady, executive director of the Long Island Commercial Fishing Association informed that the federal fisheries service was operated heavy handed. She added that the agency’s decision not to renew its contract with the Cornell Cooperative Extension for the collection of biological samples and landing statistics was “disconcerting.”
Zinser wrote in a memo to Jane Lubchenco, the administrator of NOAA that they found systemic, nationwide issues adversely affecting NOAA’s [National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration] ability to effectively carry out its mission of regulating the fishing industry. This leads to a highly-charged regulatory climate and dysfunctional relationship between NOAA and the fishing industry — particularly in the Northeast.
