Fishermen Headed to D.C. for Reform Rally, Seats Open on Bus

Montauk fishermen are headed to Washington D.C., again, to press legislators for reform, and they want you to go with them.

The Long Island Commercial Fishing Association and the are co-sponsoring a bus charter from Montauk to the Keep Fishermen Fishing rally on March 21.

It's the second national fishing rally that brings together fishermen from across the county and Alaska, seeking amendments to the Magnuson-Stevens Act, the regulatory law for fishing in the United States.

The need for reform is of the utmost importance, according to Bonnie Brady of Montauk, the executive director of LICFA, which issued a statement this week. “The 10-year timeline clause added to Magnuson in 1996, which said any fishery if depleted must be rebuilt within 10 years, was the nuclear option to US fishing communities,” said Brady.

“The fallout has been the economic strangulation of those communities without a shred of scientific evidence to support it," she said. "As long as fish populations continue to rebuild, Magnuson and fishery management councils should have the flexibility to create regulations that allow both fish and fishermen to thrive simultaneously.”

Viking Fleet captain Paul Forsberg Sr., said, “We took the cutbacks and the fisheries are re-built. Now it’s time to let us go fishing and save our jobs,” he said.

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, D-New York, and Rep. Tim Bishop, D-Southampton, are slated to speak at the rally. Senator Chuck Schumer, D-New York, and Rep. Peter King, R-Seaford, have also been invited.

If you want to ride the bus from Montauk, it will be leaving the Viking Fleet on March 21 at 5 a.m. There will be a stop in Southampton. The bus will pull into the capital around noon for the rally. It will return at about 10 p.m.

Round-trip fare is $50 and includes a box lunch from Panera. More information and sign-ups can be made by through Viking or on its website.

Reservations can be made on other buses from New York, including one from Point Lookout with available seats through Keep Fishermen Fishing's website.