North Carolina’s fishing industry has seen year wise decline in harvest of fin fish and shellfish. The commercial fishermen blame the decline on tightened regulations, higher fuel prices and an increase in imported seafood. It is said that the commercial fishing landings dropped by nearly 6 million pounds, from 68.8 million pounds in 2006 to 63 million pounds in 2007.
According to the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries the value of the landings grew by 17 percent, from $70 million to $82 million. Sean McKeon, president of the North Carolina Fisheries Association, opined that the present situation is a combination of things, most importantly the regulatory burden and the cost of doing business. He told that the species aren’t declining – the fishermen are declining. He added that in the last six to seven years N.C. have lost about one-third of our fish houses and the declining number of commercial fishermen are hanging on by a thread.
As per record the fishermen made nearly 156,000 fishing trips last year, compared with nearly 193,000 trips five years earlier, about a 20 percent drop. David Taylor, chief of the fisheries management section for the Division of Marine Fisheries, said that imports, especially foreign shrimp and crab, and fuel prices that began climbing last year are driving down effort. He also said that people can’t make enough money, so they’re getting out” of the business.
Mikey Daniels, who owns Wanchese Fish Co. with his 14 brothers and sisters, blamed the federal government for continually cutting flounder quotas. He told that every year it’s less and less and less. Alan Bianchi, with the state fisheries division, said that the trend is decreasing in the amount of fish harvested.
