New federal commercial fishing regulations designed to relieve pressure on fish populations were issued Monday and will reduce total fishing revenue in New England by 9%.
The revenue drop, totaling $17.4 million, is less than half the reduction that would have resulted from a previous measure proposed in January, the Sun Journal reported. The rules take effect May 1 and seek to address troubled fish stocks without wiping out the commercial fishing industry. They are intended to serve as an interim measure until regulators develop a new set of rules scheduled to take effect May 1, 2010.
The new regulations result in an 18% cut in the amount of time fishermen can spend at sea, but also abandon a plan to cut allowable fishing times in an expanded area in the Gulf of Maine, the paper reported.
