Rep. Zeldin Statement in Support of Governor's Call for Equitable Fluke Quota
Statement
Congressman Lee Zeldin (R, NY-1) released a statement today in support of Governor Andrew Cuomo's announced position that he would take legal action against federal regulators and regional fishery management councils if an equitable quota for New York's fluke fishing is not reached in meetings being held this December between the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council and Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC).
Congressman Zeldin said, "Here on Long Island, so much of our economy, culture, and way of life is linked to the water which surrounds us and the bounties within it. Since taking office in 2015, I have been calling for fundamentally reforming unfair restrictions on catch limits, allocations, and quotas at the state and federal level, that hurt New York fishermen. The current restrictions have placed unnecessary burdens on our local anglers and limited the growth of our fishing industry, which is vital to so many of our small businesses here in NY-1. For example, in July, regulators gave final approval to a confusing set of requirements that call for a one inch difference in the size limit for fluke, 18 inches for New Jersey anglers, but 19 inches for New York. Using flawed, outdated data to justify bad rules makes no sense, and it is long past due that New York representatives on regional councils did much more to fight for our fishermen."
"I am proud to join the Governor's call for legal action if an equitable fluke quota distribution is not met. This summer, bipartisan teamwork at all levels of government in the state of New Jersey resulted in a victory for that state's fishermen over an unfair quota allocation and we must follow that same model in New York. For far too long, New York State has continually lost out to other states when regional bodies allocate fishing quotas. It is time our fishermen here on Long Island receive desperately needed reform and we stopped making decisions for our fisheries based off of old data and poor science. It is imperative that we see this mission through, for all of our fishermen, and for all the businesses that rely upon our coastal economy. While there is still much more to be done to truly reinvigorate this cherished part of our heritage, this is an excellent step in the right direction," Congressman Zeldin concluded.
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