The Northeast fishery has been jarred by news that the official 2010 stock estimate shows a dramatic drop in the cod biomass, to the point where the species is officially overfished by a factor of five. Using the new assessment, even a complete shutdown of the cod fishery in the Gulf of Maine would not reach the rebuilding goal of 2014 as set by the Magnuson-Stevens Act.

In a letter to Commerce Secretary John Bryson, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration head Jane Lubchenco and National Marine Fisheries Service director Eric Schwaab, Kerry called on NMFS "to immediately conduct a new assessment" with "complete information that has been developed with the consent of all stakeholders."

"The most recent Gulf of Maine cod assessment threatens to further exacerbate a number of issues our fishermen already face, with potentially disastrous consequences," Kerry wrote. The recent report showed a stock level of only 11,400 metric tons, 22,600 metric tons less than a previous assessment. "Our only option is to rapidly develop a response that is fair and sound and that our fishermen can trust," Kerry wrote.

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