Official record shows that Cape ranks fourth largest in the nation as commercial fishing industry and second largest on the east coast, and brought in nearly 74 million dollars worth of seafood last year alone. Wayne Reichle, a local fisherman, said that fishing is in their blood. Reichle runs Lund’s Fisheries that sells domestically up and down the eastern corridor and exports products around the world.
A 2006, California Federal Court ruling said the EPA had to regulate the release of ballast water, bilge water, deck wash, rainwater runoff and other so called incidental discharges from vessels under the Clean Water Act. Congressman Frank LoBiondo said that State of New Jersey saying can’t pump bilge water or tried to say that…that’s an impossible situation your giving vessel owner the choice of sinking vessel or paying tens of thousands in fines.
Reichle explained, tens of thousands in fines can put fishermen in a bad place. He added that they start losing fishing vessels, they start losing fish, which shuts down their factory. With the current moratorium expiring next summer, Congressman Frank LoBiondo Tuesday announced a legislative provision secured last month that provides an additional three year extension protecting commercial fishing vessels less than 79 feet from additional fines, should the senate approve the measure.
