Environmentalists and local fishermen hailed a decision by a federal judge Monday that they say will help many of those species that may not have the cachet of commercial fish species like cod, haddock or even herring, but are affected just as much when they are caught along with their better-known brethren.
U.S. District Judge Gladys Kessler ruled that the National Marine Fisheries Service had not followed the law in failing to protect river herring and shad from being overfished by herring trawlers. Kessler said NMFS couldn't single out stocks for protection but must apply conservation measures to all depleted stocks without unreasonable delay.
NMFS spokeswoman Maggie Mooney-Seus said her agency was still considering Kessler's decision.
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