http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2010/feb/15/fishing-ban-will-be-costly/?print
Fishing ban will be costly
By MARK BROWN,
Monday, February 15, 2010
Imagine a vast area off the South Carolina coast that’s closed to fishing, stretching north from the Georgia border for nearly 150 miles to near McClellanville.
Now imagine the impacts that the closed area would have on recreational, commercial, and charter boat fishermen, and businesses such as hotels, restaurants, marinas, boat dealers and suppliers, and bait and tackle stores, which all depend on offshore fishermen – both from in and out of state – for nearly all of their income.
What you just imagined may very well come true if the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (SAFMC) approves closing a nearly 10,000 square mile area in the South Atlantic to fishing in an effort to protect red snapper, of which 3,500 square miles are off the South Carolina coast.
This despite the fact that the National Marine Fisheries Service has already imposed a total closure of the red snapper fishery and red snapper landings in South Carolina account for just 11 percent of the total landings in the South Atlantic region.
Clearly, closing fishing areas off this state is not justified by the facts and would cause severe economic hardship to the state and its coastal counties, including the significant loss of jobs for South Carolinians at a time when job creation is badly needed.
Recreational and commercial saltwater fishing is vital to the coastal economy and employs thousands of state residents directly and indirectly.
According to a 2008 University of South Carolina study, coastal tourism had a total economic impact of over $7 billion, employed nearly 81,000 South Carolinians, and generated over $2 billion in salary and wages. The same study found that commercial fishing had a total economic impact of nearly $34 million, employed nearly 700 South Carolinians and generated nearly $13 million in salary and wages.
A 2006 American Sportfis