As per the press release of NOAA the fishermen will be allowed to catch up to 6,700 tonnes of Gulf of Maine cod in 2012. This end result of collaborative work with the fishing industry to find a solution that prevented a much larger cut to the allowable catch for the 2012 fishing year.
The report of 2011 shows that the stocks of Gulf of Maine cod declined unexpectedly and thus made major reductions in catch limits necessary for the 2012 fishing year, as required under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. Media report says that NOAA and the New England Fishery Management Council are working hard to bring flexibility within federal law to protect cod and provide sustained fishing opportunities.
After much discussion they have reached a result that the quota for 2012 will be set at 6,700 tonnes, which is within the range recommended by the New England Fishery Management Council. Richard Merrick, chief science advisor for NOAA’s Fisheries Service (NMFS) said that they are working cooperatively with the fishermen and the authorities to conduct such researches to better estimate the long-term survival of discarded cod in commercial and recreational fisheries.
