Commercial fishermen of New Jersey are complaining of low fish prices and high maintenance charges. John Cole, president of the Dock co-op, said that in recent years the fishers have seen rise in fuel and maintenance costs. He added that the government regulations restrict fishing areas, catchable species and haul poundage. He opined that the fishers were told where to fish, what to fish, and how much they can catch.
Now everybody is catching the same thing at one time which doesn’t make any sense. Fishermen are facing tough time at the co-op. The block-long packing house is mostly empty, and the fleet of 14 trawlers comes in with modest hauls. Last year, most of the fishermen had lost their scallop permit when the National Marine Fisheries Service scaled back permits to reduce the harvest.
The situation is so tough that most of the fisher have lost their permit and failed to make any money. They won’t be able to pull their boat this year. A trawler should come out of the water every two years to have its hull scraped, repaired, and repainted.
Commercial fishermen need permits for every variety of fish they sell. The permits are free, but the National Marine Fisheries Service controls the harvest. Commercial fishermen believe that there should be restrictions to maintain the stocks in the oceans but the government seems to take fishers livelihood into consideration.
Emily Menashes, acting director of the federal office of sustainable fisheries, said the agency tries to balance species protection with economic impact. She said that most regulations follow recommendations of a fishery management council, which includes representatives from commercial and recreational fishing industries.
