BANGOR, ME (February 27, 2009) – Maine groundfishermen and the environmental group Earthjustice are asking a federal court to banish herring trawlers from certain areas of the Gulf of Maine. They’ve filed a lawsuit that claims midwater trawlers are damaging stocks of cod, haddock and other groundfish.
The Midcoast Fisherman’s Association says herring trawlers are seriously harming groundfish populations. "The problem here is that when the herring midwater trawlers fish in these protected areas, they’re not just catching herring, they’re also catching groundfish, including spawning groundfish and sometimes juvenile groundfish, and that’s counterproductive to trying to rebuild our depleted groundfish stocks," saus Roger Fleming, an attorney with Earthjustice, which is representing the Midcoast Fishermen’s Association in the lawsuit.
Fleming says his clients also take issue with the fact that they are not permitted to fish in these same protected areas. "So, it’s also a matter of fairness, when groundfishermen are prevented from dragging in these areas to protect groundfish, then we shouldn’t allow herring midwater trawlers that catch groundfish to fish in these areas."
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