MANSFIELD, Mass. – April 18, 2011 – In response to concerns that the haddock by-catch cap for the midwater trawl herring fleet is too restrictive, given the relative abundance of haddock, the NEFMC ground fish committee voted to raise the cap at its April 18th meeting.
On a vote of 8-4, an option was passed that would raise the current by-catch, set at 0.2 percent, by 10 times to 2 percent for the MWT fleet. Committee members also discussed the possibility of expediting the NMFS process to promulgate the new cap in time for the summer herring season. The full Council will address this issue at its April 26th meeting.