Mark Zaccaria: Lobstering Moratorium Another Example of Bad Government Policy
In a climate of increasing regulation from Washington, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission recently recommended a five year moratorium be placed on lobster fishing all along the Atlantic seaboard. While the decision was fortunately voted down, it still represents a growing trend of dangerous restrictions being placed on individuals and industries by uninformed and misguided regulators.
The recommendation by the Atlantic State Marine Fisheries Commission would have been a death sentence for the RI lobster fishing industry. It would have cost the state countless jobs. Just the idea that a government commission was considering a complete ban on lobstering demonstrates the bureaucrat’s disregard for the local economy. There are legitimate concerns about maintaining a healthy population of lobster in our waters and the lobstermen that I know are first among those seeking to do so. A complete ban on harvesting would not have been productive for either the shellfish or RI business.
Since 2008, the federal government has spent more than $1 trillion attempting to artificially “stimulate” the economy. Despite the massive increase in spending unemployment in Rhode Island remains above 12% and the national debt has grown to more than $13 trillion. It’s clear that something is not working.
The problem is that the federal government believes that it is more effective at creating jobs than the individual entrepreneur or business owner. The regulations and restrictions being placed on individuals and industries by an ever growing government is killing jobs and bankrupting our economy. Rhode Island’s representatives should be encouraging businesses to come to our state, not driving it out with overbearing taxes and regulation.
Mark Zaccaria is candidate for Congress in Rhode Island’s Second Congressional District.
“Rhode Island’s representatives should be encouraging businesses to come to our state, not driving it out with overbearing taxes and regulation.”
Or intentionally dredging up old lies about business owners wanting to relocate to Rhode Island.
Ron Zaccharia laments the death of RI’s lobster industry by citing its immanent destruction due to “A climate of increasing regulation from Washington”, then informs us that such regulation never actually took place. Clearly, this is a politician manufacturing a crisis in hope of finding a few votes by stirring up paranoid fears.
Zaccharia (Don Quixote) jousts with windmills.
Don Quixote, Edith Grossman translation, page 58.
Submitted by OldTimeLefty
So are you also against size limits? How about throwing back female lobsters carrying eggs? Or the striped bass moratorium (1984-1989), largely credited with saving this sport fish on the East Coast, you would have been against that too? Who should decide when a species is overfished? The industry itself, the individual fishermen?
Notably, you offer no plan of your own as to how to handle the precipitous decline in the lobster population. Do you support proposals to restrict the catch 50 – 75% or is your “plan” to keep doing what we’re doing and let the industry die out on its own?