Hundreds of recreational and commercial fishermen from southern New Jersey and thousands from across the country rallied next to the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday to protest regulations they say are stifling the industry.
The fishermen chanted, “I fish, I vote,” and carried placards condemning the Obama Administration and the National Marine Fisheries Service, the federal agency that regulates fishing in 3.36 million square miles of ocean.
The rally drew people opposed to strict federal fishing regulations contained in the Magnuson-Stevens Act. The nation’s primary fishing law helped fishermen when it was enacted in 1976 by eliminating foreign fishing, but during reauthorizations in 1996 and 2006 new language called for rebuilding fish populations under strict timetables. This has led to closings of many fisheries.