Exemption proposed for deck runoff rules

Published: Tuesday, November 25, 2014 at 4:12 p.m. Last Modified: Tuesday, November 25, 2014 at 4:12 p.m.

Local shrimpers and other owners of small commercial fishing boats around the country will need a new permit to wash their decks if a recently introduced bill doesnt pass Congress by mid-December.

The bill was introduced by senators from Florida and Alaska and would exempt small vessels from the permit requirements.

No matter if the vessel is an outboard-powered trawler or an ocean-faring cargo giant, there is an inevitable exchange of water from the decks or hold with the waterway below.

Such discharges are regulated by the Clean Boating Act, which was passed in 2008. This requires deck runoff and water used to clean components of the boat be tested for contaminants before being dumped.

The rules have been particularly important for large ships where ballast water transfers have spread invasive species from one habitat to another.

Boats less than 79 feet long have been exempt from the rules, but that exemption expires Dec. 19.

Everything we bring to clean is biodegradable and we use water from under the boat, said local shrimper Paul Adams. People are struggling out here to make it and the politicians are making it harder.

Legislation was introduced last week that would delay the requirements for commercial fishing vessels for one year.

We urge the Senate and House to move swiftly because starting over in the next Congress would mean losing all the progress that we have already made. Without an extension of the current exemption, every commercial fisherman will be forced to apply for various permits or face tens of thousands of dollars in fines just for spraying off our decks, said Seafood Harvesters of America President Chris Brown.

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Exemption proposed for deck runoff rules