An important ally has joined Long Island fishermen in a fight against the federal government.

Pete Grannis, commissioner of the state Department of Environmental Conservation, has told local fishermen that he will provide a hand in convincing federal officials to raise the cap on fluke caught in the Mid-Atlantic.

"This is a tremendous step. We've always complained bitterly that we were essentially cheated out of our due share of fish," says Brad Loewen, a fisherman and East Hampton councilman.

As News 12 Long Island has reported, fishermen from New York get to keep about 7 percent of the fluke caught in the Mid-Atlantic, while fishermen from other states get to catch and keep two to three times as much.