June 5, 2012 – U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) announced Monday congressional oversight hearings have been scheduled that will include testimony from Long Island fishermen concerned that federal fishing regulations are overly strict.
The senator joined local fishing industry advocates at the Freeport Boatmen’s Association to argue that summer fluke, or flounder—a fish that was big business off the shores of LI—has rebounded from prior overfishing that the regulations were meant to correct.
“Long Island fishing industry is the life-blood of communities,” Schumer said. “We must do everything we can to make sure federal fishing rules allow it to grow and thrive, not wither and die.”
The oversight hearings will come this fall once Congress considers the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Reauthorization Act, which established fishing limits the senator and industry argue are based on flawed scientific data.
Read the full story at the Long Island Press.