NOAA Assistant Administrator for Fisheries Samuel Rauch has written to New England Fisheries Management Council Chair Rip Cunningham on the subject of Gulf of Maine cod and has stated he intends to attend "the upcoming Council meeting along with many of my key staff working on this issue…".
NMFS Director Rauch writes "We recognize fully the importance of the GOM cod fishery to both stakeholders and the Council. I believe the response from both the Council and the agency to date reflects the extraordinary circumstances we find ourselves in, as well as the extraordinary steps all parties have undertaken to try and find the optimal way forward. Much remains to be decided and done, but we stand ready to continue these efforts moving forward and look forward to collaborating with the Council to incorporate the new stock assessment advice into managing the GOM cod stock."
Read the letter from Director Rauch to NEFMC Chair Rip Cunningham