A cold shiver runs down the spine of commercial fishermen whenever government shows up at the docks, prescribes another bitter regulatory pill and promises that although the pill might be hard to swallow, it will, over the long run, cure what ails the fishing industry.

Too often the side effects, such as harvest moratoriums or low catch quotas, take such a heavy toll that many fishermen don't survive the cure.

Fishermen would like government to stay out of the fishing business altogether, but they readily concede that isn't likely to happen under either political party.

And so many believe the time is ripe to ask more, not less, from government, and to press elected officials to adopt forward-looking policies that support thriving, socially just and environmentally sound commercial fishing communities.

At a time when the entire national economy seems to be unraveling, it's remarkable to see North Carolina commercial fishermen still forging ahead, harvesting carefully managed, sustainable marine resources, providing wholesome and healthy food to consumers and lending support to the local, state and national economies.

Elected officials should take note and adopt a bold vision of economic, social and environmental sustainability that will protect the future of small, family-owned and family-operated commercial fishing businesses.

The good news for politicians is that this investment in the future will cost very little and will reap huge benefits.

Congress can take steps to reduce the negative socioeconomic consequences of harvest restrictions on fishing communities without jeopardizing the health of marine resources. Allowing a little more time for fish stocks to rebuild, strengthening the quality of the science used in management and discarding fisheries policies that favor large corporations over small harvesters would be steps in the right direction.

With all the buzz over projects such as offshore aquaculture, marine reserves, wind and wave energy and drilling for natural gas and oil, federal and state waters promise to become busy places. Fishermen could find "no trespassing" signs posted on traditional fishing grounds in the future.

Politicians need to make sure that policies for the development of ocean and coastal waters benefit from the wisdom of the wild-seafood harvesters who work on those waters.

Working in tandem, the state of North Carolina and fishermen need to develop a strong brand identity for North Carolina seafood if the state is to accrue the highest possible economic, environmental, cultural and consumer benefits from its marine resources.

Commercial fishing, as our generation has known it, is disappearing. That is a very sad turn of events that breaks the intimate connection between harvesters, wholesome seafood and healthy oceans.

But rather than dismissing commercial fishing as simply a chapter in North Carolina's history, state leaders should recognize that the harvest of renewable marine resources fits nicely into an economy guided by the principles of sustainability.

(Susan West covers fisheries for the Outer Banks Sentinel and the Island Free Press. She is co-author of "Fish House Opera," a nonfiction account of the North Carolina fishing industry, and is married to a commercial fisherman.)