Scallop Fishermen Want Controls Lifted

WASHINGTON (CN) - The National Marine Fisheries Service is unreasonably restricting scallop harvesting in the mid-Atlantic, the Fisheries Survival Fund, a trade group, says in a federal complaint against Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez.

The fishermen say it's unreasonable to reduce the scallop catch by 30 to 50% during the prime fishing months of May to November, as the defendants have done. They say the restrictions were imposed to protect endangered sea turtles, but there's less than a 1% chance that scallop fishermen will hurt the turtles.

Plaintiffs are represented by David Frulla.

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