February 27, 2018 — PORTLAND, Maine — The East Coast mackerel fishery will face new restrictions because fishermen have exceeded their limit for two other species.
Fishermen bring Atlantic mackerel to shore from Maine to North Carolina. The fishermen are given a limit to the amount of river herring and shad they are also allowed to catch.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says mackerel fishermen are close enough to that limit that restrictions are kicking in. The fishermen will be prohibited from fishing more than 20,000 pounds of Atlantic mackerel per trip for the remainder of the calendar year.
The restrictions go into effect on Tuesday morning.
Read the full story from the Associated Press at the Virginian-Pilot