Government sinks boat

[Yurt]

There is no more "general" US stuff, so I posted this here, and yes, it is current, though not sure it affects the whole US.

Tangled trawler sinks, oozing diesel into bay

A 75-foot-long shrimp boat holding 300 gallons of fuel had entwined another craft in its rigging before sinking

....

Meanwhile, Melissa Boggs, an environmental specialist with the state Department of Fish and Game, hurriedly walked with a cell phone stuck to each ear trying to coordinate the effort.


....

Obviously Morro Bay is an extremely sensitive site because of endangered animals such as sea otters and the California brown pelican," Boggs said, noting that Western snowy plovers are also a concern because they are listed by the federal government as an endangered bird. She said birds may not show the effects of contamination for several days.


.....

Nearby fishermen watching the scene said the cause behind the Susan Diane’s sinking is linked to regulations that have decimated the industry.

They said the industry’s decline has left boat owners without money to fix their trawlers, leaving them languishing in disrepair.

"It’s like a policeman walking up to you and saying, ‘Give me your driving permit.’ You can’t drive anymore," said Butch Knapp, a longtime fisherman. "It’s a joke. It’s like a farmer, you tell him he can’t farm, and you don’t give him any subsidies."

Knapp and other local fishermen believe more boats will sink in the harbor soon because of lack of money to pay for maintenance. They pointed to other nearby trawlers, predicting their doom.

http://www.sanluisobispo.com/mld/sanluisobispo/15089274.htm

 

[Little-Acorn]

What regulations, exactly, have "decimated the industry"? The story doesn't even try to identify them. Odd, since if it's true, that would be one of the most important points of the story.