Connecticut fishermen are certainly not happy with the latest development of new regulations that the government is intended to implement. They say it is unfair and unnecessary because it restrict the amount of fish caught by commercial fishing operations, have some in the industry bracing for the worst.
The fisherment said that the main target of the regulations is groundfishing which includes haddock, cod, red fish, and flounder. Quota systems are in place to make sure any individual species isn’t over fished. It is told that an interim rule restricts the number of days commercial fishermen can stay at sea by up to 18 percent. The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) put the new regulations into effect on May 1. They say it will cost the industry about 9 percent of its yearly revenue. Many fishermen, however, dispute this figure and say the impact would be greater.
It is informed that the regulations are designed to help bolster existing population of fish off the New England coast following years of overfishing. Local fishermen say these drastic steps aren’t needed to replenish fish offshore and that the results would be damaging to the industry. Bobby Guzzo, a local fishermen from North Stonington, says the fish are indeed returning to the New England coast thanks to replenishing efforts in recent years.
