Fishermen in two of the most lucrative fisheries in the Northeast – Atlantic herring and haddock – are at odds over the management of fishing in Georges Bank, a key nerve center for both species.
Atlantic herring fishermen who fish from midwater trawl boats are on track this year to exceed their limit for incidental catch of haddock in Georges Bank, off the coast of New England, federal regulators said. That would trigger rules that would effectively shut down the herring fishery.
Herring fishermen are asking the New England Fishery Management Council, an interstate body that manages fisheries, for an emergency action that could include raising their limit for haddock bycatch. But many haddock fishermen are opposed to such a move because they say it would contribute to the depletion of their own fishery.
The council will consider the request at a meeting June 17-19, with a potential vote scheduled for the last day.
Read the full story at Portland Press Herald>>