Cod fishery to be slashed by 77%

By PBN Staff
Twitter: @ProvBusNews

GLOUCESTER, Mass. – On Wednesday night, the New England Fishery Management Council voted to cut the catch limit on Gulf of Maine cod by 77 percent, a move the opposition claims is tantamount to shutting down the industry, The Gloucester Times reported.

Georges Bank also was not spared cuts. Fisherman will face a 66 percent cod catch cut, according to the news source.

According to the Times, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Regional Adminstrator John Bullard said it was “a day of reckoning” that was a long time coming.

The cuts are so severe that council member Joe Orlando argued for a complete shutdown of the cod fishery. “I don’t see myself leaving the dock next year, I’m not sure we’re going fishing [anymore],” said Orlando, according to the Times.