The lawsuit was filed in 2007 after the fisheries service denied a petition by the fishermen requesting that the agency stop trawlers from dragging their nets through federally protected groundfish spawning areas.

The fisheries service is responsible for management, conservation and protection of marine resources in waters three miles to 200 miles offshore.

According to Glenn Libby, chairman of the Port Clyde-based Midcoast Fishermen’s Association, the federal agency has designated certain areas in that zone as off-limits to most fishing to protect spawning for groundfish such as cod, haddock, pollock and flounder.

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