Tag Archives: Lee Zeldin

Judge tosses NY’s lawsuit over fluke quotas

A federal judge has dismissed New York’s lawsuit seeking to challenge the state’s relatively small portion of the East Coast commercial fluke quota as a congressman called for local fishermen to not comply with the restrictive allotment. With little fanfare, U.S. District Judge Sandra Feuerstein on July 30 issued an order dismissing the case, allowing the state 10 days to file a notice to reargue its claims by next April Court records showed no such filing had been made. New York’s original complaint was filed Jan. 14 Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo first threatened to sue over New York’s low quota at an event in Montauk in 2013. Meanwhile, Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-Shirley) on Friday recommended that New York commercial fishermen go out of compliance with the fluke quota system in what would be a clear signal to Washington of their frustration with the process.  >click to read< 19:37

Army Corps dredging Moriches Inlet to remove heavy sand buildup

Four storms last winter created a buildup of 300,000 cubic yards of sand, clogging the inlet, which feeds Moriches Bay and sits between Smith Point County Park and Cupsogue Beach County Park in Brookhaven and Southampton towns. The inlet provides access to the Atlantic Ocean and is a major economic driver for marine-related businesses in the region. “Failure to dredge these vital waterways would not only cause economic hardship and create a public safety crisis, but will bring about significant environmental issues,” Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-Shirley) said at a news conference Friday at the U.S. Coast Guard Station in East Moriches. >click to read<10:28

Fishing quotas on black sea bass draw lawmakers’ ire

New York lawmakers on Sunday pushed back against federal fishery quotas and regulations that reduce the amount of black sea bass fishermen can catch in the upcoming season. “New York State needs to take an immediate stand against the unfair black sea bass allocation coming out of the ASMFC [Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission] by issuing its own fair and equitable quota and going into what is formally known as noncompliance,” Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-Shirley) said Sunday at a news conference with fishermen in Patchogue. “Going into noncompliance is never the first option, but at this late hour it may be the only one.”>click here to read< 18:09