Local Fishermen Rally On Capitol Hill

By Manuel Quinones

Fishermen from Maryland and Virginia were among the thousands who rallied on Capitol Hill to protest rules they say are threatening their livelihood.

Virginia Eastern Shore fisherman Darryl Lilliston says Congress must ease fishing restrictions or folks like him will go out of business.

"We are going to be gone," he says. "We are already two-thirds extinct and failing every day."

Lilliston and the other fishermen are upset with new restrictions and bans they say go too far. They want Congress to change the current law to give them more leeway.

Virginia Republican Rob Wittman spoke at the rally and says protecting fishermen is good for the economy.

"Folks it boils down to this," he says. "Fishing is jobs."

An official with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration defended the government restrictions, saying they're helping rebuild fisheries to the benefit of the environment and the fishermen.