Many fishermen in our area tell us they're afraid they won't survive the new fishing regulations.

Late last month, the National Marine Fisheries announced Florida fisherman had reached the yearly quota of amberjack.

Many fishermen aren't arguing about the quota system, but they don't believe the fisheries services numbers are a true reflection of how many fish are in the water.

Stevon Richard has been fishing the gulf for over 20 years.

"If they keep closing the season on us early like this, pretty soon everybody going to be out of work," Richard said.

Saturday, hundreds of fisherman took their concerns where they do their business, the water.

Protesters were also voicing their concerns on the Hathaway bridge.

They want members of Congress to extend the fishing seasons so they can make a decent living.

"I don't understand why the fishermen aren’t getting a vote on all of this. They are just passing all these regulations and they're not even, they are doing it so quickly like nobody has a say," Shelia Tweedie, whose son is a fisherman said.

Fishermen tell us the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act is another road block. The act deals with over-fishing.

"Our red snapper season they say is going to be even shorter that last year. People just can't make a living in 30 to 75 days. We have to have longer than that. We are asking for a 6-month season," Pam Anderson, of Captain Anderson's Marina said.

If the fishing seasons continue to close, it could force some third and fourth generation fisherman out of business. Which in effect could trickle down to you the consumer.

"I mean we've got tourist. We've got locals. We've got commercial fisherman. They all need to make a living and be able to come out here and enjoy our ocean," Mario Gisbert, a fisherman said.

Sixty boats protested in St. Andrews Bay Saturday. Ninety-one were in Destin. Forty in Mexico Beach and almost eighty in Orange Beach, Alabama.
Organizers are hoping Saturday's protest will send a clear message to lawmakers.