Gulf of Mexico fishermen challenge federal regulations as unconstitutional

A pair of U.S.commercial fishermen who work in the Gulf of Mexico are suing the federal government and the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, claiming that the regulatory system overseen by NOAA Fisheries and the regional fishery management councils represents an “unconstitutional regime.”

George Arnesen and Ryan Bradley claim that by delegating fisheries regulation to those councils, the federal government is violating “the Constitution’s structural protections,” removing democratic control and placing commercial fishermen “at the mercy of unaccountable bureaucrats.”

“A well-intentioned attempt at rule by enlightened experts has devolved, as usual, into a ... 

Photo courtesy of NOAA Fisheries