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Gulf shrimp boats
may be capped at 2,800 for the next 10 years
Public hearings are set for February
to discuss capping the number of shrimp boats
operating in federal waters in the Gulf of Mexico.
The cap is on track to take effect
by late summer or early fall, possibly heralding
a new era for an industry that has largely operated
free of tight government regulations.
Public hearing on the proposal
were announced Friday by the Gulf of Mexico Fisheries
Management Council, which oversees federal coastal
waters stretching from Texas to Florida. Three
Louisiana hearing are scheduled for February.
New rules tentatively adopted by
teh Gulf council would limit the shrimp fleet
for the next decade at about 2,800 boats, those
operating with federal permits at the end of
2003. The moratorium on new permits would apply
to all vessels operating beyond the Gulf's 3-mile
boundary of state jurisdiction, out to the 200-mile
line of federal control.
The move is considered inevitable
by many in an industry struggling to compete
with cheap foreign imports. It would give shrimpers
an inside advantage should the market for their
product improve because of new tariffs being
imposed on foreign shrimp.
Yet limiting the fleet size is
not universally embraced. It is proposed at a
time when shrimp stocks are considered healthy,
meaning the moratorium is solely for economic,
not biological, reasons.
"This country was built on free
enterprise, not charity," said Bill Dekemel,
a 30-year shrimper and president of the Eastbank
Commercial Fisherman's Association. "That resource
belongs to each and every person in this country.
Everybody should have the same right to it."
Even among supporters, the so-called
limited-entry program is considered a threat
to the tradition of passing on shrimp businesses
from generation to generation. With hundreds
of shrimpers forced out of the business in recent
years, supporters have argued that drastic action
is necessary.
Since the moratorium idea was unveiled
in 2003, the National Marine Fisheries Service
estimates an additional 300 shrimpers have gotten
out of hte business.
Richard Leard, a biologist who
advises the Gulf council, said the plan will
probably be in effect within months.
After the council makes its final
decision following the public hearings, the proposal
would be passed on to the National Marine Fisheries
Service for one last round of consideration.
Council members are appointed by the governors
of the five Gulf states.
Hearing dates and locations are
Feb 16 in Abbeville, LA, at the LSU Agricultural
Center Extension Office; Feb 17 in Houma, LA,
at the Ramada Inn; and Feb. 24 in the New Orleans
area at the Airport Ramada. Hearing will run
from 7 to 10 pm.
Associated Press
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