There was saying about New England that when you could walk across Cape Cod Bay on the backs of cod as the state was built on fisheries. But those days are gone and the state has witnessed great reductions in the numbers of fish and fishermen. Experts said that the state needs a new fisheries management system that will protect the livelihood of fishermen while groundfish stocks are being rebuilt.
The New England Fishery Management Council has started new system which operates on three simple premises. First, it ensures that scientific catch limits don’t allow overfishing and that fishing stops once the limits have been reached. Second, it incorporates monitoring so fishermen and regulators know exactly how much fish is being caught. Finally, it establishes community-based co-ops, called sectors, which receive a share of the catch limit. While respecting catch limits, the co-ops can develop guidelines that fit their own fishing methods, providing them with the flexibility to develop their business plans.
Blame game for failed management led to the decline of fish stocks and lost jobs for fishermen was always focused somewhere else. As a result the fishing industry now has no option but to make tough decisions that will allow the industry to survive in the long run and give fishermen a way to plan for their future. The New England fisherman’s problems have been long in developing.
As overfishing increases rampantly in the state the government stepped in to regulate, it focused on limiting a fisherman’s effort, which dictated both the number of days he could fish (“days-at-sea”) and the quantity of fish that could be carried to port — not what he actually caught. It is told that the proposed fisheries system represents a clear contrast to the confusion, waste and frustration that marked “days-at-sea” management.
