The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:
Today, NOAA Fisheries announced that, at the request of the New England Fishery Management Council, we are proposing to open portions of some areas originally closed to reduce fishing effort and protect spawning fish. These areas will reopen to selective gear for a limited time period to provide increased opportunity for groundfish fishermen to target healthy haddock and other abundant species like skates and monkfish. We believe this will help fishermen operating under lower quotas this year for several key groundfish stocks such as cod.
Based on concerns raised by Maine and Massachusetts commercial and recreational fishermen and others over the need to protect spawning cod and due to the frequency of occurrence of harbor porpoise in these areas, we are proposing to keep the Western Gulf of Maine and Cashes Ledge year-round closed areas closed.
Click here for more information about these proposed measures and to learn more about how to provide public comments.