A joint enforcement agreement allowing N.C. Marine Patrol to enforce federal regulations in exchange for federal funding is one of many differences the state Senate and House must reconcile to approve a 2014-15 state budget.
The Senate budget included a provision stipulating the state cannot enter into the agreement. The governor and the House included the agreement in their budgets.
Patricia Smith, a public information officer for the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries, said the organization has tried to get the agreement approved by state lawmakers several times. North Carolina is the only coastal state on the East Coast to refuse to adopt the agreement since eligibility was extended to 45 states and territories in the 2007 Magnuson-Stevens Reauthorization Act.
Smith said the exact terms of the agreement would be hashed out after the legislature grants authority to proceed, but she suggested it would have little impact on current enforcement.
“Whenever there’s a federal fisheries regulation, typically North Carolina will mirror that regulation in state regulations. So we’re already out there doing a lot of this enforcement,” Smith said during a June 30 phone interview, listing snapper, grouper, tuna, wahoo and dolphin fish as federally managed species the state currently enforces.
State marine patrol could receive up to $600,000. This figure is up from the $200,000 estimated in earlier efforts, for entering the agreement. The funds can be used to train officers and acquire equipment needed to enforce new standards.
When the Marine Fisheries Commission considered a motion in May to support the agreement, the motion carried 5-2. Joseph Smith represents the commercial and recreational fishing industry on the commission. He voted against the agreement.
Smith owns and operates Atlantic Seafood, a wholesale distributor in Hampstead. He said it has become harder to acquire local seafood despite more demand, which he attributes to increased regulation.
“People don’t realize it’s not because there aren’t any fish. There’s certain kinds of fish that they’ve got rules on that you should be able to catch,” Smith said during a June 30 phone interview.
He is also worried that additional regulations could push the state’s commercial fishermen out of business.
“Commercial fishermen are a service to the people of North Carolina. It’s a hard, tough job and it’s a dangerous job. They’re underappreciated. We need to be mindful and supportive of commercial fishermen because we all want North Carolina seafood,” Smith said.
Former commissioner Bradley Styron, who owns and operates Quality Seafood in Cedar Island, said the commission rejected similar motions in the past.
“I was on the commission for 11 years and it came before us two or three times and every time it was defeated … for the reason that North Carolina sovereignty is worth more than $200,000 a year,” Styron said during a July 1 phone interview.
Styron said the federal plan does not offer flexibility to tailor federal regulations to state needs.
“That puts us in a quandary. … What’s good for North Carolina is not necessarily good for Massachusetts, and what’s good for Rhode Island is not necessarily good for North Carolina,” he said.
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