Well, this is a start…now how do we make sure we have ample, knowledgeable representation there?
SEN. SCHUMER ANNOUNCES SENATE MAGNUSON HEARINGS
Says Expected Capitol Hill Discussions With Fishermen “Long Overdue”
(6/4/2012) Following five years of diminished access, and a pair of national rallies in Washington DC, it appears that coastal fishermen will finally get a chance to be heard before the U.S. Senate.
United States Senator Charles E. Schumer (D-NY) today announced that he has secured a commitment to hold congressional oversight hearings this fall on the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, the federal law which governs how our coastal fisheries are managed.
Standing aboard a docked party boat at the Freeport Boatmen’s Association on Long Island this morning, Sen. Schumer followed up on his personal pledge to fishermen that he made at the Keep Fishermen Fishing rally on March 21 to call on Congress to begin hearings on Magnuson reform this year.
“This hearing will finally give a national voice to the concerns that have been raised by Long Island anglers for years that faulty science and excessively strict quotas are decimating this industry,” said Schumer. “It’s long overdue for Long Island fishermen to be heard on Capitol Hill.”
Explaining how the federal fisheries law has resulted in excessively strict fishing regulations despite many healthy and growing fish stocks, Sen. Schumer told a group of fishermen assembled aboard the Capt. Pete out of Freeport that he had secured a commitment fromSenate Fisheries Committee Chairman Mark Begich to conduct the hearing to begin the process of reauthorizing the federal fisheries law and allow for consideration of the fishing community’s input.
"The Long Island fishing industry is the lifeblood of communities throughout the Island so we must do everything possible to make sure federal fishing rules are allowing it to grow and thrive. Unfortunately, the industry is being stifled by regulations which are sorely in