December 7, 2023 — For years, fishermen like Bill Bright and his colleague Wayne Reichle have been required to take federal observers on their boats when they set out into the North Atlantic in search of herring. Those observers are making sure fishermen are catching what they’re legally allowed, most of it in efforts to prevent overfishing.
But back in 2020, federal regulators moved to require herring fishermen to directly pay observers salaries, a move that could potentially cost herring fishermen up to $700 per day.
By some estimates, that could top 20% of revenue from a fisherman’s catch.
“From the beginning, the most important thing for us was the ability to continue fishing and continue operating the way we’ve operated for a number of years,” Wayne Reichle said.
As a result, Reichle, Bright and a half dozen other fishermen sued the federal government.
A case that has rippled so far beyond the shores of New Jersey that it has now ended up before the Supreme Court. Loper Bright Enterprises, Inc. v. Gina Raimondo is set to be argued before the court in January 2024.
“From the beginning, the most important thing for us was the ability to continue fishing and continue operating the way we’ve operated for a number of years. It’s about us being able to maintain our livelihoods and operations,” Reichle said.