NC shrimping bill prompts backlash from coastal fishermen

RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — Coastal fishermen are turning out in full force in Raleigh on Tuesday to oppose a bill that would ban some kinds of shrimp fishing.

Large commercial trucks with signs reading ‘NC Seafood for All No Trawl Ban’ honked their horns and drove circles around the legislative building as fishermen in the building called for lawmakers to vote no on House Bill 442 

The bill bans commercial shrimp trawling within a half mile of the coast. The practice involves dragging a net on the ocean floor to catch shrimp.

Critics, like the North Carolina Wildlife Federation, say the practice is destructive to natural habitats and that it kills millions of bycatch, like southern flounder and blue crab. The shrimping industry contends that most shrimp fishers have devices in place to minimize bycatch. 

HB 442 was initially meant to create a red snapper and flounder season. The ban portion was added as an amendment. It’s why commercial fishermen are troubled by how far this bill has traveled.

Kenny Rustick, a lifetime fisherman, traveled from Carteret County to tell the big fish here in Raleigh that his livelihood is at stake.

“This is what I do for a living and I have done it full time for 40 years. And if they push us outside in the ocean, a half mile, it’s not where the shrimp run,” he said. “If they push us off, it’s dangerous for the small boats. The majority of the shrimp fleets have 30 to 40 foot boats.”

There is a Senate bill complementary to this ban issue that would offer money to the fishermen over the next few years to make up for losses. That’s not a compromise that fishermen are willing to accept at this point, saying they don’t want to accept a handout. 

The next step is for this bill to go to the Senate.