NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — February 7, 2013 — The bleak outlook for Northeast groundfish was the message at a downtown lecture series Wednesday evening by NOAA Regional Administrator John Bullard.
As Bullard, a former city mayor, faced a friendly crowd of about 75 in the Ocean Explorium, he started slowly with a description of what NOAA fisheries does and how it is organized to regulate fisheries, which is a mystery to many.
He then retold the story of the fabulous success in counting, rebuilding and maintaining scallop stocks, thanks to UMass Dartmouth scientist Dr. Kevin Stokesbury and his remote ocean floor camera apparatus.
But the story grew increasingly grim when Bullard turned to cod and other groundfish, currently the biggest challenge facing the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in the Northeast.
Many species are in serious trouble, he said. Where cod is concerned, the recruits of baby fish remain very low. "We have not had an above-average class for many years. There's lots of species not producing young. And I don't have an answer."
The session, the third in the Explorium's Global Voice speaking series, was low-key, especially compared to the last few New England Fisheries Management Council meetings where Bullard has taken a lot of criticism for his management decisions.
Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard Times