“The report concludes that when all fishing across the region is analyzed, fishermen as a whole are generally doing marginally better financially, even though they are spending less time fishing and catching fewer fish than previous years,” stated NOAA Administrator Dr Jane Lubchenco.

NOAA is sharing the findings at the New England Fishery Management Council’s “lessons learned” workshop, which is expected to provide important recommendations to help fishers and their communities thrive despite low quotas.

NOAA has been working quickly to raise catch levels based on new fish stock science and allowed fishing in some previously closed areas. NOAA and the Council are also considering rolling over unused quota to the next fishing year.

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