Charter captains, bait shops and commercial fishing fleets from Key West to Puget Sound are losing jobs and money as sweeping restrictions on dozens of fish take effect nationwide, based on data that regulators know is inaccurate.
Regulators say they need to overhaul the science behind their decision-making, which relies partly on numbers collected through random phone calls to coastal homes. But they must err on the side of caution under 2007 laws setting a deadline for ending overfishing in the U.S. by Jan. 1, 2010.
Thousands of recreational and commercial fishermen plan to protest outside the Capitol in Washington on Wednesday to push for lesser regulations until the science improves.
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Caption: Al Rodriguez, a tackle and bait specialist at Economy Tackle in Sarasota, questions the tougher fishery regulations.
Credit: Dan Wagner, Sarasota Herald Tribune