September 27, 2018 — The New England Fishery Management Council approved Tuesday a more conservative formula used to set catch limits for Atlantic herring.
The formula, known as the acceptable biological catch, will more explicitly take into account herring’s ecological role as a fish eaten by bigger fish and marine birds and mammals.
The Pew Charitable Trusts, a nonprofit based in Philadelphia, estimates the new rule will keep an additional 31 million pounds of herring in the water over the next three years.
Council members also banned commercial fishermen from using large fishing nets called mid-water trawls within 12 miles of New England’s coastline.
Atlantic herring are a small, schooling fish primarily caught to be used as bait for tuna and lobster. A recent stock assessment shows the population has reached historic lows over the past five years.
The changes to the management plan have been submitted to the National Marine Fisheries Service for final approval.