WAKEFIELD, Mass. (AP) — December 20, 2012 — Fishing regulators on Thursday delayed voting on huge cuts to the catch of New England fishermen after repeated and emotional warnings that the reductions would finish off the flailing industry.
The New England Fishery Management Council voted 15-2 to put off deciding on new catch limits for various bottom-dwelling groundfish species until their next meeting, scheduled for the end of January.
Fishery scientists say some species are recovering far too slowly, meaning drastic cuts in catch are needed to meet the law’s mandates to end overfishing and rebuild fish stocks.
The possible cuts in catch included 74 percent for Georges Bank yellowtail flounder and up to 90 percent for Gulf of Maine cod, compared to what fishermen landed in 2011.
Before the vote, fishermen criticized fishery science they say vastly underestimated the health of fish stocks and repeatedly told the council the possible cuts would obliterate the remnants of the centuries-old industry. Scituate fishermen Frank Mirarchi, a 50-year veteran, told the council they might be looking at ‘‘the end of an era’’ when cuts go into effect at the May 1 start of the fishing year.
Read the full story from Jay Lindsay of the Associated Press at the Boston Globe