The Town of Southampton says it has made major renovations to the Shinnecock Commercial Dock to support the fishing industry on the East End.

A total of $1.5 million was spent to repair the second largest commercial fishing fleet in New York.

Hampton Bays fishermen say the commercial pier needed some work - from crumbling docks, deteriorating bulkheads and parking lots with potholes.

"It was old and falling apart before that," says Scott Berglin. "We need stuff like this."

The electrical system at the dock got a major upgrade in addition to being raised up about 20 feet off the ground.

"That's another important safety feature because that's no longer susceptible to floodwaters," says Southampton Deputy Town Supervisor Frank Zappone.

New York state says the fishing industry brought in nearly $6 million worth of products in 2018. They hope renovations will help improve that number.

Fishermen hope so too because they are worried about the industry.

"The economy is hurting us real bad, and the price of fuel is hurting us real bad," says James Kraus.

Southampton town officials say they would like to make other improvements at the Shinnecock Commercial Dock, such as possibly adding a better fish processing area to the facility.