April 16, 2020 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:
The New England Fishery Management Council, which met April 14-15, 2020 exclusively by webinar for the first time in the Council’s history, confronted several issues challenging the groundfish industry during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The Council discussed mid-range planning at the start of its meeting. Given ongoing travel restrictions and limitations on public gatherings due to COVID-19, the Council voted to postpone final action on Groundfish Monitoring Amendment 23. The amendment is being developed to improve catch accounting in the fishery while minimizing costs to industry but still maximizing the value of the data that’s collected.