New England’s 400-year-old commercial fishing industry is about to plunge into a new world of rules intended to give fishermen a sense of ownership and responsibility
As regulators work out the details for the May 1 launch of a new catch-shares system, many in the industry are pushing back. Dividing the catch among fishing boats, the critics say, will speed the decline of the fleet and replace fishing families with corporate investors.
But some industry leaders, along with state and federal officials, say the backlash against the new quota system is misplaced. The real problem is the same as it’s always been, they argue: too few fish and too many boats.