What is the cause of these cuts exactly? Government regulation or the effects of overfishing?”
One of my very small commercial fishermen tax clients just went through a hearing with EPA who continues to reduce his red fish allocation every year. On one of the forms we had to prepare for the hearing he had to list all the kinds and number of fish caught during the last five years by month.
One of the women from EPA asked my client why he insisted on catching such a variety of fish in his nets when he was only supposed to be fishing for red fish. I had to get up and leave the room while he was thinking about how to explain to this dumbo that a net is a net and you catch what you catch. She also later asked why the number of fish caught was not more consistent from one month to another. She just didn’t have a clue but she was one of the ones who would decide whether or not my client would be able to catch enough fish so he could remain in business and support his family.
Probably had a PhD in fisheries management or some such. Yet the same will assert those who have lived on and fished a body of water for 50 years know nothing because they don't have a degree...