NEW BEDFORD — Federal fishing regulators have relaxed restrictions for gillnet fishing off New England, ruling that annual catch limits make some restrictions unnecessary and inefficient.
The changes apply mainly to boats that use gillnets in the Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank, primarily boats out of Gloucester and Maine. Regulators said the new exemptions will make gillnet fishing more profitable and give flexibility to the boats about when and where to fish.
The dozen gillnet boats that are home-ported in New Bedford do not fish in those areas, said Rodney Avila of New Bedford, a member of the New England Fishery Management Council. Some Gloucester boats have relocated in New Bedford temporarily to catch monkfish, Avila said.
The exemptions announced this week are from rules governing the type and number of gillnets a boat may use, areas that were closed part of the year, along with certain restrictions on boats carrying each other's nets.
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