Scarborough fisherman Rob Odlin is among many fishermen who say they are struggling under the new regulations that went into effect on May 1. At the time, critics predicted half of New England's 1,480 groundfishing vessels would be put out of business and groundfishing would screech to a halt by summer.
A year later, neither prediction has come true, but fishermen are divided about how well the new system works. The ports of New Bedford and Gloucester, Mass., and various fishing interests filed a lawsuit against Commerce Secretary Gary Locke and Jane Lubchenco, head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, claiming the regulations violate federal law. Under the new regulations, fishermen are encouraged to join cooperative-like groups, called sectors, which are allocated a portion of the annual quota for each species based on the total of members' previous catches. Each member's individual quota is also based on that member's fishing history.
The government also set stiff new quotas for haddock, cod, yellowtail flounder and other groundfish species. Once a sector exceeds its quota for any of the 19 species, intentionally or not, the entire sector must stop fishing for any species. Sectors and members are allowed to lease part of their quota to other fishermen within the sector and between sectors.
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