In a victory for federal fisheries regulators, Framework 42 groundfishing regulations that were suspended in January are back in place until the end of the month when a new rule takes effect.
Senior judge Edward F. Harrington reinstated the double-counting system — which charges fishermen two days of fishing for each day they fish in certain waters — in a court order issued Friday. The order relates to a federal lawsuit filed against the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration by the states of Massachusetts and New Hampshire in November 2006.
Harrington wrote in the order that Framework 42 is back in place because NOAA Fisheries Service, one of the defendants, has complied with earlier court orders by "seriously considering and analyzing" a special provision known as the mixed-stock exception. The provision allows overfishing on a stock so that fishermen can harvest healthier stocks that swim in the same area.