Fishing industry pressures New Jersey governor to let them work again
Murphy said he'd consider helping the fishermen
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New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said Thursday he'd look into a request from the state's for-hire fishing industry to let them get back to work amid the coronavirus pandemic.
"We’ll take something like that under consideration and take it seriously," Murphy told "Fox & Friends." "And by the way, I don’t blame people for writing a letter like that at all. We’ve got one of the great shorelines in America and maybe the world. The fishing industry's really important to New Jersey. We’ve allowed a certain amount of marina and boating activity to take place."
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Two groups, the Recreational Fishing Alliance and United Boatmen of New Jersey, sent Murphy a joint letter earlier this week to propose fishermen be able to take customers on the water provided they follow virus safety measures.
"We’re trying to do our due diligence to ensure the safety of passengers and crew … and give people the outlet to enjoy some recreation," Adam Nowalsky of RFA's New Jersey chapter told FOX Business.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said on April 30, 2020, he'd look into a request from the state's for-hire fishing industry to let them get back to work.
The state's recreational fishing industry supports more than 8,500 jobs and generates more than $1.4 billion in annual sales, according to the letter.
New Jersey, one of the states hit hardest by the coronavirus pandemic, will reopen parks this weekend.