There is a seemingly endless cycle in New England fishing: Once one species is regulated, fishermen tend to start hunting the unregulated ones. Then the unregulated species become regulated and the cycle begins again.
Fishermen went after cod, until they were told they couldn’t catch as many. Then it was spiny dogfish – the white fish found in British fish and chips. Monkfish, spiny sea urchins – even the malodorous hagfish, better known as slime eels, were eventually turned to for exportation to Asia after restrictions tightened around other species.
By the time science catches up with the market, many of the species are already so depleted severe fishing restrictions are necessary – drawing the ire of fishermen and, of course, a compelling reason to find other kinds of sea life to go after.
Read the complete story at The Boston Globe.