MADEIRA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Charter captains and recreational fishermen in the southeast say tighter restrictions on what fish and how many they can catch are keeping more of them away from the sport.
The limits on such popular sport fish as grouper, red snapper and black sea bass have gotten more restrictive than ever this year as scientists try to figure out how to restore species they say have been overfished for decades.
But charter operators and recreational anglers say the rules are unreasonable and diminish an industry already dinged by higher gas prices, last year's BP oil spill and the recession.
Anglers say it's hit the industry has been especially hard hit in Florida, where saltwater fishing is a $5.6 billion annual industry and supports an estimated 55,000 jobs.
