Bill would provide more work for fishermen, help revive ocean health at same time

The ongoing Gulf disaster is not only destroying marine life on a massive scale, it has had devastating impacts to the people and communities who make a living on the water.  Shrimpers, oystermen and fishermen are out of work for an undetermined amount of time and many are now using their boats to clean up the mess that is costing them their livelihoods.  Even though people may receive some compensation from BP, it’s not in their hands yet, and many are worried they’ll never see that money (or if they do – it won’t come close to making up for their loss).  There is no doubt that this is an environmental disaster, but it is also a human disaster – and the cost of each is yet unknown.

As an ocean attorney, I work with our conservation laws to protect the long-term survival of fish populations, which are the best resource for fishing communities.  After all, you need to have healthy fish stocks in order to be able to fish for them into the future.  These laws are not always supported by some in the fishing community, however, as they can result in temporary restrictions on fishing for certain populations to allow depleted species to rebuild.

But environmentalists and fishermen alike were excited to see the Senate version of the Coastal Jobs Creation Act introduced last Thursday (by 11 bipartisan Senators!).  This bill (like the House version introduced in March) provides environmentally beneficial job opportunities for fishermen.  It increases support for cooperative research management and monitoring projects that improve ocean science (such as identifying and protecting essential fish habitat).  It also would provide funds to conserve coral reef ecosystems, and restore and protect coastal resources like wetlands. 

Conservation and fishing groups support this bill because it creates ocean-related jobs (like hiring fishermen to remove litter in the sea), which helps coastal communities while fish populations are rebuilding.  These jobs would improve ocean  AND economic health at the same time – a win-win opportunity we should take.     

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