Herring are no longer a major food fish in New England, and the few dozen boats in the region that still catch the fish — commonly known as sardines — sell them primarily as lobster bait.
But the small, silvery fish that swim in huge schools are at the center of a fierce controversy. On Tuesday, the New England Fishery Management Council is scheduled to start forming a new management plan for the fishery. The effort has pitted the fleet of mid-water trawlers that catch herring against environmental groups, commercial groundfishermen and recreational anglers.
"This one has been a tough one. It is complicated and extremely controversial," said Lori Steele, the council's management plan coordinator.
The herring fishery comprises 35 to 40 boats, most of them mid-water trawlers based in Maine and Massachusetts. That's a small number relative to the groundfishing fleet in New England.
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