The Fisheries Investment and Regulatory Relief Act authored by Sens. John Kerry (D-Mass) and Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) will make significant progress toward improving data collection and science in our nation’s fisheries. Too often fishermen are forced to follow regulations based on bad data or science.
This new law could inject more than $100 million a year into improving stock assessments and research in fisheries around the country. Moreover, it requires no new tax or fee. It will reestablish the intent of the Kennedy-Saltonstall Act passed 58 years ago and direct money collected from duties paid on fish imports to improved science and research at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS).
The Charter Fishermen’s Association is proud to support this legislation as a forward step toward strengthening fishermen’s confidence in the agencies that regulate our fisheries. We will be contacting lawmakers over the coming weeks to inform them of our support for this legislation. We call on other concerned anglers across the Gulf of Mexico and around the country to the same.
Read the complete letter from Gary Jarvis at The Destin Log.