It is observed that a plan approved to restrict deepwater commercial fishing along the East Coast from North Carolina to Florida won’t affect Charleston area commercial fishing operations. This restriction is said to add a layer of regulation on natural gas and oil exploration off the coast of South Carolina.
It is true that the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council approved a plan last week to protect more than 23,000 square miles of known deep sea coral from North Carolina to Florida from bottom trawling fishing gear. Kim Iverson, the spokesperson for the Charleston-based South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, said the action won’t affect commercial trawling off the coast of Charleston because most of the activity here is in more shallow water.
Iverson informed that it is definitely not going to affect the guys who shrimp out of Shem Creek. It is told that the plan restricts the footprint of bottom trawlers, which are frequently charged with destroying fragile coral reefs and moving tons of rocks along the ocean floor in their search for seafood.
Experts believe that the restriction could make it more difficult for oil and natural gas exploration off the coast. The council only has regulation over fisheries in federal waters, but if exploration is a threat to regulated habitats, it could come into play. Iverson told that off the coast of Charleston, we don’t really have that deep water crab fishers. He added that the fishers that do exist there are small and are currently managed under permit systems.
The association represents commercial fishing operations along the Southeastern United States. Jones said red snapper only accounts for about 50,000 pounds of harvested fish, but the impact and principles involved are greater. Five congressmen from Florida have signed on with the commercial fishing association to stop the ban on red snapper fishing.
