June 23, 2026 — New England groundfishermen are once again finding themselves caught between the fishery they are operating under today and the management system regulators expect them to use tomorrow.
More than a year after the New England Fishery Management Council submitted Amendment 25 and Framework 72 to NOAA Fisheries, both actions remain under federal review, leaving fishermen and sector managers trying to plan for a four-stock cod management system that has not yet been approved.
The situation has become increasingly frustrating because quota leasing decisions, catch accounting and fishing plans are already being influenced by a management structure that technically does not exist.
“It’s difficult because we’re managing both to the real allocation and the phantom upcoming allocation that doesn’t actually exist yet,” said sector manager Hank Soule.
For fishermen, the issue is not whether the transition to four cod stocks will happen. Most industry leaders support the change and expect it to move forward. The problem is the uncertainty surrounding when federal regulators will finally act.