Letter: Too many rules on fishing
The Island Princess, owned by Captain Nick Manzari, sits docked at the Captree Boat Basin on Captree Island during a mid-day break between flounder fishing trips on Captree Island. (April 28, 2012) Credit: Daniel Brennan
The less restrictive rules on the number and size of fluke and porgy that fish anglers can take are too little, too late ["Rules eased for fluke, porgy season," News, April 30.]
These rules are thrust upon recreational fishermen and their families. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation should be regulating commercial vessels and not passing the rules down to us.
One haul retrieved by a commercial net is more fish than recreational anglers could probably ever catch in our lifetime, but we pay the price yet again with these ridiculous fees and laws.
Why do I need a license to catch a few snappers from the dock? Fishing is our birthright as Long Islanders. It is up to us to be responsible with the fish and game that we catch and consume, but don't look to the humble sportsman to turn around years of fishing mismanagement.
Instead, let's look to the government, which turns a blind eye to foreign and domestic commercial fishing.
Rick Liverano, Centereach
