BOSTON — January 30, 2013 — Commercial fishermen in New England are anxiously awaiting a regulatory vote on Wednesday that could significantly reduce the amount of cod they are allowed to catch, a move designed to preserve and rebuild the stock of the once abundant fish.
Meanwhile, a separate proposal—aimed at lessening the economic blow of any cuts by opening nearly 5,000 square miles of protected Atlantic Ocean to eligible commercial fishermen—is drawing fire from conservationists and others as potentially undermining the aim of increasing the cod population.
Under the primary proposal by the New England Fishery Management Council, a regional policy-making arm of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the fishing industry could see its total allowable catch for certain cod stocks drop 80% from the current level. At the same time, the other proposal to open the areas off the New England coast would give fishermen more places to catch more-plentiful stocks of fish, such as haddock, supporters of the proposal say.
"Restrictions have to strike a balance between the fish and fisherman, and the balance is out of whack," said David Goethel, a New Hampshire commercial fisherman and a voting member of the fishery-management council, which also includes state officials, scientists and other industry representatives.
Read the full story at the Wall Street Journal