September 26, 2018 — Regulators on Tuesday tightened restrictions on the fishing of Atlantic herring but didn’t go as far as some groups wanted to help rebuild declining stocks of the small, oily fish that’s not only important to New England fishermen but is also a critical link in the marine food chain.
The New England Fishery Management Council unanimously approved a new management approach that will dramatically cut the catch limits for herring over the next three years, but the regulatory board stopped short of temporarily shutting down the fishery, as one option on the table would have required.
The new rules adopted by the council, which put in place a formula for setting annual catch limits, were applauded by some environmental advocates as recognition of the fish’s key role in the larger ocean ecosystem.
“The population is stressed, and we really need to start building resiliency,” Erica Fuller, senior attorney with the Conservation Law Foundation, told the council.
But the decision was made over the objections of groups representing commercial fishing boats that catch herring and lobstermen who use the fish as bait. They argue that the herring population goes through natural ups and downs influenced more by environmental factors than fishing pressure.
Read the full story at The Providence Journal