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Herring fishery caught in rules web |
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Regulations are preventing midwater trawlers from taking any more herring on Georges Bank for the rest of the fishing year because of limits on haddock bycatch, a situation Brian Rothschild from UMass Dartmouth's School of Marine Science and Technology calls bizarre. Since 2006, fishery regulations restrict herring boats to just 0.2 percent of the overall haddock quota. That amounts to just 86 tons, at the same time approximately 28,000 tons of haddock will remain uncaught by all fishermen, said Eoin Rochford, operations manager for Northern Pelagic Group. Norpel operates the herring trawlers Nordic Explorer and Dona Martita from its processing plant on Fish Island in New Bedford.
There is no rational basis for these decisions by the New England Fisheries Management Council, said Rochford, who maintains they are politically motivated. Read the complete story from The South Coast Today.
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HASTINGS: Time to improve the Endangered Species Act
May 18, 2012 - When the Endangered Species Act (ESA) was signed into law in 1973 by President Nixon, he spoke about the importance of preserving “the rich array of animal life with which our country has been blessed.” I believe that goal is as important today as it was back then. However, after nearly 40 years, it’s time to take a fresh, honest look at the law and consider whether there are ways it could be improved to do a better job of protecting and recovering species.