New fishing regulations for New England fishery went into effect From May 1 but many fishermen greeted the extensive overhaul with a mixture of skepticism and resignation, saying it will essentially force them and related shore-line industries out of business. Under new rules boat owners were encouraged to organize themselves into sectors that will be allocated a share of the annual quota for each imperiled species. Once a group exceeds its limit on a particular kind of fish, members must cease fishing of any kind.
This new rules gives more freedom to fishermen about their jobs, but many expressed reservations about the lower number of fish they are now allowed to catch. Tim Barrett, a Plymouth fisherman, said that this will destroy their business. He expects a 60 percent hit to his income because he says he is now allocated just 16,000 pounds of groundfish a year, compared with his usual annual haul of around 40,000 pounds. The allocation is determined by a permit holder’s catch history between 1996 and 2006.
The previous system, in place for nearly three decades, restricted the number of days fishermen could fish each year, where they could go in the ocean, and how many fish they could haul ashore on each trip. Julie Wormser, the New England and mid-Atlantic director for the Environmental Defense Fund’s oceans program, said environmentalists understand fishermen’s concerns but she believes they would fare better economically under the new rules.
Wormser said that the boat owners were given the option of catching fish under the old rules, but it is financially unattractive to do so. She added that some fishermen, despite lowered catch limits, support the merits of the new system. Nearly all 800 boats in New England with an active commercial history of catching groundfish have opted to take part in the new system.
