Cutting the region’s herring catch in half would significantly harm the state’s lobster fishery. At the same time, the fishery cannot continue to be managed with spotty oversight and catches that are so large the whole herring fishery could be hurt. To resolve this, stricter management of herring fishing must be accompanied by help for lobstermen to diversify their bait supply.
Regional fisheries managers recommended that the herring catch limit be cut by more than half next year. They said this was necessary because of uncertainty as to the number of herring in the region. They initially proposed that the catch limit be dropped to 90,000 metric tons. This year, the limit is 194,000 tons.
After hearing from lobstermen last week, a committee of members from the New England Fisheries Management Council and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission decided on a smaller reduction in the allowable catch — 145,000 metric tons. The full New England Fisheries Manage-ment Council is expected to take up the issue next month.