GLOUCESTER, Mass. — November 12, 2014 — Cod is a big source of income for fishermen in Massachusetts, but the federal government says fishermen off the coast of Cape Ann must stay away from the popular fish.
For more than 40 years, since he was 6 years old, Joe Orlando has been a fisherman.
"My whole family's done it. My grandfather's done it, my father's done it. I brought my kids into doing it," Orlando said.
But with new federal fishing regulations announced, Joe says a 4-generation family tradition will come to an end.
"It's all over! I'm done. My career has finally come to an end," he said. "It's emotional. I feel like crying."
The National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, is expanding no fishing zones and limiting fishermen up to 200 pounds on a single trip. Orlando's used to catching 700 to 2,500 pounds a day. And after the zone expansion, his boat is too small to make it into the allowable fishing zones, which are now further offshore.
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