Few deep sea fishermen remain; New rules force some to quit industry (NH)

[jpak]

http://www.fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080412/GJBUSINESS_01/802881618/-1/FOSNEWS

PORTSMOUTH — Erik Anderson knew his days of ground fishing were numbered two years ago, when regulations known as Framework Adjustment 42 slashed his annual fishing days at sea to just 26.

He sold his 39-foot boat, the "Kris and Kev," and now does seasonal lobster fishing instead. He said he is not alone.

Since the New England Fishery Management Council issued those regulations in 2006, nearly all the ground fishermen who once unloaded their daily catches at the Portsmouth Fishermen's Cooperative no longer do so.

Anderson said the cooperative itself closed its doors in August and has yet to reopen.

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[Submariner]

1. The combination of advanced Fish-Finder technology, capture methods,

and by-catch waste from overfishing have raped the oceans of natural resources. I got into this business in the '70s, and have been absolutely amazed watching the expert opinion of PhD fisheries scientist in maximum sustained yield analysis traded away by sleazy Repuke pols for personal political gain, the resource be damned.

In other words "I've got mine....screw the rest of you and the environment."

[Warren Stupidity]

2. 25 paragraphs later: oh and there aren't any fish.

The reason why the local fishing industry is a disaster is that we killed all the fish due to unregulated overfishing. The regulations, harsh as they are, are intended to allow one of the planet's ancient and great fish resource, george's bank, to recover from its near total devastation, and to avoid wrecking it again once it does recover, if it ever does. It is indeed sad that the local fishing industry has died along with the fish. Perhaps someday it will recover along with the fish, but it will have to do so through using a regulated and sustainable process.