A Fair Catch for New York Fishermen

Press Release

By Rep. Lee Zeldin

On Long Island, our waterways are in many respects our way of life. A pillar of Long Island's culture and economy is our rich fishing heritage. Due to unfair fishing quotas and allocations, however, the livelihood of our state's anglers has suffered.

The vast majority of Long Island fishing takes place in the Atlantic Ocean and Long Island Sound; waters shared with our neighboring states, New Jersey and Connecticut. Yet, New York fishermen are restricted by smaller fishing quotas than these two other states. That means when two boats are fishing next to each other, one is allowed to catch up to double the amount of the other because it is landing the fish in New Jersey or Connecticut instead of New York. This discrepancy is ridiculous and inequitable. That's why, when it comes to fishing quotas, tri-state parity is so important.

Once again, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC), in rolling out New York's black sea bass allocation for this year, cut off New York fishermen from its fair share while allowing New Jersey's allocation to grow. At the state level, New York's representatives to these regional bodies, like the ASMFC, must fight more aggressively to advocate for New York's anglers who rely on fishing as a way of life, which supports so much of our local economy.

Last season, in New Jersey, we watched every level of government, including Democrats and Republicans, stand up for their state's hardworking fishermen to fight misguided quotas impacting their state. In fact, New Jersey proposed their own quota that would safeguard conservation efforts, while supporting their state's fishing industry, but was found "out of compliance" by the ASMFC. New Jersey appealed the ASMFC's decision all the way to the Secretary of Commerce and won. Going into non-compliance is never the first option, but it may be the only one in taking a stand for New York anglers who year after year continue to get screwed.

Many of my constituents are fishermen and small business owners trying to attract customers, and this decision hurts their ability to make a living and support their families. Customers who are equidistant from Long Island and New Jersey are going to take their business to the place they can catch the most fish, and right now, that's not Long Island. Fewer visitors attracted by our recreational fishing industry means less patrons at the seafood restaurant on the shore of Moriches Bay and fewer customers at the local bait and tackle shop. These unfair fishing quotas have a decimating ripple effect on our entire community.

At the root of this inequity is the main law that governs recreational and commercial fishing in our nation, the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. Enacted in 1976, this law has not been updated in a decade and is in desperate need of reform. Reforming the Magnuson-Stevens Act also presents the opportunity to fix New York's issue regarding Fishery Management Councils (FMCs) and allow our anglers to receive the fair share they have long deserved. Also as part of Magnuson reform, there needs to be improvement in the data and science used to create federal fishery management plans, as well as an improved framework that makes quotas and regulations flexible to each region and species. Maintaining healthy fish stocks is incredibly important, and our fishermen understand this; however the horribly flawed data used to set allocations and quotas does not take into account the resurgence of fish populations. Without addressing this need, America's fishermen will continue to suffer.

I have long worked hard to secure victories for our local fishermen, and we cannot slow down now. In 2011, during my time in the New York State Senate, I led the successful effort to repeal the Saltwater Fishing License Fee. This Congress, I reintroduced my legislation, the Local Fishing Access Act (H.R. 1195), which will provide Long Island anglers with relief from confusing and burdensome regulations, by reforming the federal law that bans striped bass fishing in the Block Island transit zone, the federal waters between Montauk, New York, and Block Island, Rhode Island.

Every level of government has a critical role to play in protect Long Island's fishing industry and the countless hard-working Long Island families whose livelihood rely on a thriving, successful, and fair maritime business. Failure to do so is a failure to honor our island's proud angling heritage, the fishermen of today, and the generations of fishermen to come.

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