NEW BEDFORD, Mass — State and city officials huddled with the president of Northern Pelagic Group on Thursday in an effort to prevent the local seafood business from closing its doors for good.
The herring and mackerel fishing operation, known by the abbreviated name of NORPEL, shut down on April 5, blaming overregulation for its demise.
At issue is NORPEL's inability to harvest its entire allocation of herring because of a management rule that limits the amount of unwanted haddock or "bycatch" that crews can bring in with the herring. Despite an overabundance of haddock at sea, the herring fleet was restricted by the fishery management council to just .02 percent of the total allowable haddock catch.
The loss of access to Georges Bank herring, combined with poor mackerel landings, resulted in NORPEL's decision to cease its operations.
After Thursday's closed meeting, Mayor Lang said he remained hopeful.
"It was a productive meeting and I appreciate the time that the secretary spent on it. NORPEL presented its case and we will do all we can to resolve these very conflicted issues," Lang said.
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