Fisheries have been an important part of New Hampshire's heritage since enormous quantities of cod brought fishermen to the Isles of Shoals in the early 1600s. Now, few cod or fishermen remain, but fishing heritage is intrinsic to our regional character. New Hampshire residents and visitors still enjoy fresh seafood caught and sold by community supported fisheries and schedule vacation time for fishing and whale-watching.
At the end of this month, the New England Fishery Management Council will meet to vote on critical new management measures to monitor the Atlantic herring fishery. This meeting is important to everyone concerned with restoring the Great Bay and New Hampshire's coastal ecosystem and preserving local fishing fleets. Atlantic herring (also called sea herring) are common in the Gulf of Maine, and eaten by every predator, including the cod and haddock we eat, and the whales, seals and seabirds we watch.
In 1902, the New England herring fishery was a shore fishery: 162 million pounds were caught with pound nets, weirs and haul seines that year, and 153 million pounds were caught near shore as late as 1960. Today, less than 17 million pounds of herring are caught in coastal waters.
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