"The public does not want catch shares, recreational charter boats do not want catch shares, the majority of commercial fishermen do not want catch shares, and yet Environmental Defense along with their former Vice Chairman Dr. (Jane) Lubchenco continue to push their agenda even though they have very little support," Captain Bob Zales II of the National Association of Charterboat Operators wrote in a letter to members of Congress.
Advocates for the recreational fishing industry said lobbyists with the Environmental Defense Fund are calling on Congress this week to build support for the catch shares budget request. But the move does not have universal support in the environmental community.
"Catch shares have been proven to skew fisheries toward industrial production, decrease job opportunities and wages for workers, and devastate coastal and fishing communities," said Wenonah Hauter of Food and Water Watch, a consumer and environmental group that opposes consolidation in the seafood industry.
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