SEABROOK, N.H. – David Goethel built his life off the profits of cod, trolling the waters of New England for 30 years netting the region's once-abundant signature fish.
"My slice of the American Dream was paid for from fishing," Goethel said from behind the wheel of his 44-foot fishing trawler on a windy Friday afternoon in December. "Cape Cod house, two cars, four college educations – it all came out of the fish hole in this boat."
But a controversial federal mandate is threatening to put him out of business, he claims.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, requires groundfishermen -- those who catch cod, haddock and other common bottom-dwelling species -- to carry on board "at-sea monitors." The observers, hired by three for-profit companies, are third-party workers whose task it is to observe fishermen's compliance with federal regulations and ensure annual quotas are not exceeded.
The dispute lies in the cost of the monitors and who should pay for them: Fishermen are billed on average $700 a day when a regulator is present.
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This is what DNR need for the oystermen around here. A monitor on the boat since they can't follow the regs.
ReplyDeleteThen you can pay $400 a bushel for oysters. You won't?! Guess it's a stupid regulation then isn't it.
DeleteMore government bureaucrats intruding in the lives of hard working Americans. Most of those bureaucrats haven't done an honest days work in their lives, all they do is suck off the public tit which is of course paid for by the tax payers that they try to screw every chance they get just to prove how much power they have and try to justify their jobs. I sure hope Trump can straighten some of this crap out.
ReplyDelete12:11 Sounds good to me. Anyone can ignore the rules and regulations. I can go out a take all the rockfish i want and harvest oysters off the state beds.
ReplyDeletethe funny thing is.the guys culling the catch on his boat I doubt make $700 a day...but the guy making notes on his clipboard in the heated cabin does.....reminds me of a quote "im from the government and im here to help you"
ReplyDelete1:13 You pay $150-300 for a bushel of crabs depending on if its is a holiday. The EBT people get them for free and mine are free as well. The difference is that I live in a waterfront home and can put pots out. The EBT folks get them with tax dollar. See where this is going? The poor people and wealthy people usually are better off than the middle class. Doesn't matter what political party they, you or I support.
ReplyDelete