February 3, 2013 — For local fisherman David Goethel, the effect of cod catch reductions decided last week by New England fishery managers is cut and dried.
“It puts us out of business. It's not a viable business anymore.”
Goethel, of Hampton, sits on the New England Fishery Management Council, but voted against the cuts on Wednesday, day three of four-day hearings addressing the fate of the region's commercial fishing industry.
The Council approved decreasing the overall quota of Gulf of Maine cod by 77 percent, and by 61 percent for Georges Bank cod, for fishing years 2013 to 2015.
Those reductions mean that fishermen's allocations will drop from 6,700 metric tons to 1,550 for Gulf of Maine cod, and from 5,013 metric tons to 2,002 for Georges Bank cod.
The cuts will take effect May 1.
New England fishermen turned out in droves to the Sheraton Harborside Hotel in Portsmouth for the hearings, and were outspoken about their concerns for the industry and their livelihoods.
In 2012, an interim action was put in place that reduced catch limits by 22 percent. That interim action ends April 30, and while the New England Fishery Management Council had requested another, the National Marine Fisheries Service denied that request.
John Bullard, regional administrator of the National Marine Fisheries Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said an interim measure is only an allusion.
“Fisherman don't need allusions,” Bullard said. “They need a big dose of reality.”
The interim action kept the fishery in business while addressing fish stock assessment numbers that were much lower than initially reported.
Read the full story at Foster's Daily Democrat