Fisheries council approves new rules
The New England Fishery Management Council voted Thursday in favor of a new system intended to protect fish populations while maximizing fishermen's profits.
After two days of debate, regional fishery managers passed a new set of regulations that will give New England fishermen the choice of joining one of 19 sectors groups of fishermen, or remaining independent, according to the Portland Press Herald. Sector members will catch only certain percentages of the ocean's groundfish, determined by fish population estimates and individual fishermen's histories within each sector. Fishermen who choose not to join sectors will be held to day-at-sea limits.
Under current systems, the number of active groundfish boats in Maine has shrunk from around 350 to 70 within the past 15 years, the paper reported. The vote now awaits formal approval from the National Marine Fisheries Service.
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