Alaska crabbers face ‘fishing cliff’ with government shutdown
The Alaska crab season is set to open Oct. 15. But the crab fishermen and women can’t set out for their catch until they get permits from the National Marine Fisheries Service, which is closed due to the federal government shutdown.
by Kyung M. Song, Seattle Times Washington bureau -- October 11, 2013
[...]
The shutdown has forced furloughs of fisheries managers with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in Juneau. Without them, some 80 boats that fish for Bristol Bay red king crab, Bering Sea snow crab and other species can’t get the paperwork to catch their quotas.
About 50 of the vessels are based in Seattle and 10 others are from Oregon. Most of the boats are gearing up in the Aleutian Islands or are en route.
[...]
The economic stakes — more than $200 million to the harvesters alone — prompted U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene, D-Medina, to take to the House floor last Saturday to urge Republicans to end the government shutdown.
“We are facing a ‘fishing cliff’ in the Bering Sea unless Congress acts,” she warned.
File: Crab-Oman.jpg --
From Wikimedia Commons
[...]
Crab accounts for less than 10 percent of Alaska’s $4.6 billion commercial-fishing industry, which is dominated by salmon, Alaska pollock, Pacific cod and other species.
File: King crab pots.jpg --
From Wikimedia Commons
You'd be "crabby" too -- if your Job was on the line.
Too bad we can't make the 'Government haters' feel that same way ...