Tourists around the nation travel to Myrtle Beach looking for fun, sun, and local seafood cuisine. What these tourists don't know is that fresh-caught seafood is hard to come by these days.
Harsh fishing regulations are keeping fresh fish off the menu and out of local markets, including mine. Regulations are also hurting jobs: Right now I have seven boats — with three crew-members each — tied to the dock. I was born the son of a commercial fisherman and have worked in the fishing industry since I was 13. I run my family's small fish house and fishing business out of Murrells Inlet.
I'm a young guy who would like to own the family business one day. That is, if it can last that long. Now I constantly ask myself if I should find another job.
When fishing seasons do open up again, our fishermen will have to race to catch as many fish as they can before they're off limits again, even in bad weather. This is dangerous — I have seen crews and boats lost in bad weather as recently as last week — amid nothing more than a race to the end of the fishing industry.
There is a ray of hope.
Catch shares, a fisheries management concept with a strong history of rebuilding fisheries and commercial fishing, reduces the need for closures and keeps fishermen working on the water, all the while aggressively rebuilding depleted fish stocks.
Read the complete story at The Sun News.