Boyd Brown: A floundering industry

Concerning your Sept. 1 editorial “Fishy business on fish rules”: I agree completely with your dismay at the shameful intervention by a handful of legislators in the Marine Fisheries Commission’s attempt to salvage a devastated southern flounder fishery.

The southern flounder fishery in North Carolina has already collapsed. It is rare to see anyone catch a keeper-sized flounder anymore. The popular fish has been overfished for many years. The commercial interests do not care if the numbers are reduced.

Simply put, as the fish becomes more scarce, the price per pound goes up. They have to deal with less fish and get more bucks per pound. And, when one resource is destroyed, they move on to the next.

If experienced locals can’t catch a six-flounder limit, a Triangle resident has little chance. They are likely driving down to the coast and returning home with an empty cooler. They’d be much better off driving a few minutes longer and going to South Carolina where the limit is 15 flounder, and with good weather and a little luck, they’ll go home with a full cooler.

South Carolina water is no cleaner than North Carolina, but its lawmakers know how to protect a resource. Ours evidently do not.

This story was originally published September 3, 2015 at 5:15 PM with the headline "Boyd Brown: A floundering industry."