March 2, 2013 — With drastic cuts to the commercial cod and haddock fishery mandated at the end of January, many recreational groundfish anglers are wondering, "Are we next?"
It seems recreational anglers have gained a reprieve, if only for now. The New England Fisheries Management Council's Recreational Advisory Panel last month approved recreational cod and haddock bag limits for the 2013 season, and they are thankfully similar to 2012. While they still need federal approval, that should be forthcoming.
Captain Barry Gibson of Boothbay Harbor, a charter captain for more than 40 years, chairs the advisory panel. Gibson is certainly no stranger to recreational angling. He was the editor of Salt Water Sportsman for 23 years, and is vice president of the Northeast Charterboat Captains Association. He still writes for a variety of publications, appears perodically on television and is a passionate advocate for saltwater angling.
As chairman of the Recreational Advisory Panel, Gibson was intricately involved with the proposed 2013 bag limits. Before discussing bag limits, the panel listened to a presentation by National Marine Fisheries Service's bioeconomists, which discussed different scenarios concerning cod and haddock regulations.
"We were expecting a big cutback," said Gibson, who was surprised by the recommendation by the bioeconomists. "They basically said given the size of the Gulf of Maine cod stock and the declining recreational effort over the past few years, their conclusion was that we wouldn't have to cut back or do anything different in order to stay under our allocation."
The allocation is a portion of the overall cod catch (recreational and commercial) that is dedicated to recreational anglers by the New England Fisheries Management Council.
Under the approved proposed regulations, anglers will still be able to keep nine cod, and the minimum length limit will remain at 19 inches, the same as 2012.
Read the full story atthe Portland Press Herald