Letter to the editor: Fishing regulators, enforcers shouldn't make things worse
To the editor:
I thought that, by now, the national fishing regulators would have slowed down.
Instead, it seems, they have taken off and have made the situation worse.
A person has to understand the process of fishing to understand what different procedures will accomplish, and in what ways will the attacked fisherman be able to land on his two feet.
You enforcement people have to understand how a fishermans operate before you throw a law at him.
At one time, fishermen had to use the right-sized mesh, then go out and fish certain areas for so long a time. Then, when they came in, the inspector would check the size of the net mesh and the size of the fish, plus the amount.
The whole secret of this business is a simple procedure with a way to make money and keeps everyone on their feet — and is also able to protect certain size and volume of the different species of fish.
You can't do much if your laws are frigid and real stiff.
It boils down to having an agreement on everything with everything being balanced out.
Do not make laws and permits for which you can't have flexibility in certain circumstances. We do not even have half as many fish dealers as we had at least 30 years ago. Don't make things worse with fines and restrictions on procedures that we do have.
BENJAMIN CHIANCIOLA
Bellevue Avenue, Gloucester
