PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Fishing industry managers are recommending the already-diminished U.S. cod fishery face another reduction in catch limits.
Cod fishing was once a huge industry in New England, but it collapsed due to overfishing and environmental challenges.
The regulatory New England Fishery Management Council said on Dec. 10 it has called for a reduction of the commercial Georges Bank cod catch from about 2.4 million pounds (1.1 million kilograms) to about 540,000 pounds (245,000 kilograms) next year. Georges Bank is one of two key areas where fishermen catch cod. The other is the Gulf of Maine, which would remain at about 590,000 pounds (268,000 kilograms) next year under the council’s recommendation.
The council said the Georges Bank and Gulf of Maine cod stocks remain overfished. The Gulf of Maine stock shows “few older fish in the population and few incoming recruits,” the council said in a statement.
U.S. fishermen caught more than 100 million pounds (45 million kilograms) of cod per year in the 1980s. The catch was less than 2 million pounds (900,000 kilograms) in total last year.
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The fish are often used in fish and chips. The U.S. seafood market has turned to foreign sources, from countries such as Iceland and Russia, to meet demand.
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