December 20, 2012 — Regulators on Thursday voted to reopen about 5,000 square miles of protected waters off the coast of New England to new applications from commercial fishing interests. The move drew concern from environmental advocates and praise from fishermen who hope access to the waters will boost the ailing industry.
The “groundfish closed areas” were set aside, for the most part, in the 1990s to preserve habitat along the seafloor and give critical species like and haddock a safe place to spawn. While recreational fishing and some limited commercial fishing have been allowed in these areas, environmental advocates and scientists say the restrictions are needed to help older female fish that help to increase stocks.
But commercial fishermen say the implementation of a quota-based protection system in 2010 made the conservation areas obsolete, and called on the New England Fishery Management Council, the regulating body, to renew access to the waters.
“Many of the existing closures greatly hinder fishermen’s ability to access and harvest their available allocation of healthy stocks,” said Nick Brancaleone, a spokesman for the Northeast Seafood Coalition, an industry group.
Read the full story in the New York Times