On June 25 New England fishing officials approved by a single vote a controversial proposal that will all but require commercial fishermen to manage their fishing hauls cooperatively starting next May, according to The Boston Globe.
A fisherman’s catch is currently limited both in the amount of fish he or she can bring back from sea and in the total number of days on which he or she can fish. The new system would place limits on groups of fishermen, who would form cooperatives known as “sectors,” rather than individuals, The Globe said. The fishermen would then figure out among themselves how to fish within their sector’s limits.
Under rules adopted by the New England Fishery Management Council, New England would have 19 sectors for catch bottom-dwelling species such as cod and flounder, The Globe said. That includes two sectors which are already up and running on an experimental basis on Cape Cod.