Just this month, New England fishermen absorbed a 22 percent cut in the catch of cod in the Gulf of Maine and an 80 percent cut in the yellowtail flounder catch on Georges Bank.
The lower catch limits present a huge problem for already stretched New England fishermen, because they prevent them from going after the more abundant fish the cod and flounder swim among. Fishermen have predicted catastrophe for the industry by next year unless something changes.
Tromble said New England is unique because the fish off its coast have been under pressure for so long, both from the industry's early beginnings and the foreign fleets who heavily fished its waters until the U.S. government kicked them out in the mid-1970s.
Also, he said, fish reproduction on important stocks has recently lagged in New England, compared to other regions, and it's unclear why.
To many fishermen, the problem is flawed fishery science. Their doubts have recently been fueled by radical shifts in the population estimates. The cut in Gulf of Maine cod, for instance, came just four years after scientists said the species was robust.
"It's a dynamic environment out there and the data that we have from the fishery reflects that," Tromble said. "So sometimes we get results that aren't what we expect. We've just had an unusual amount of that in New England recently."
BOSTON (AP) May 14, 2012— A record number of fish populations have been rebuilt in U.S waters, even as problems continue to threaten the future of the high-profile New England fishing industry, according to a federal report released Monday.
Six species that were once considered overfished have rebuilt to optimal population levels in waters from the Bering Sea to the Atlantic Coast, according to the annual report to Congress by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's fisheries arm.
The report also said just 45 of 219 fish populations (21 percent) were considered overfished in 2011.
Still, 13 of those stocks are in New England. That's the most, by far, of any geographic region.
Emily Menashes, acting director of NOAA's sustainable fisheries office said, overall, the report shows, "We are turning the corner on ending overfishing."
But New England is defying the positive trends and it's unclear how that can change, said NOAA's Galen Tromble.
"It's a challenging situation and there aren't any easy solutions," he said.
Read the full article from the AP by Jay Lindsay.