"They have created a totally dysfunctional fishery," said Richard Burgess, who heads a Gloucester-based gillnetting sector organized under the umbrella of the Northeast Seafood Coalition, and owns a four-boat groundfishing business.

The landing reports confirm predictions from across the industry and anecdotal reports from Gloucester, New Bedford and Point Judith, R.I., that groundfishermen were either avoiding fishing altogether, or pursuing prey outside the groundfish complex, the primary source of fishing revenues for the fleet since pre-colonial times.

Larry Ciulla, president of the Gloucester Seafood Display Auction — the No. 1 sales platform for fish taken in the Gulf of Maine — said "dayboat landings are down between one-half and two-thirds so far this year.

Thirty percent of the boats aren't fishing due to the quotas established by NMFS, he said in an interview Thursday.

Prices for groundfish have been higher than last year, because supply has dropped, Ciulla added.

"The behavior right now of fishermen isn't to go fishing," said Nina Jarvis, the auction office manager. "They're trying not to go fishing."

Read the complete story from The Gloucester Daily Times.