Cod Regulations

[Finprof]

An article on Cod regulations just appeared in the online version of the Wall Street Journal. Following is a direct quote from the Journal:

"Federal regulators on Monday halted most cod fishing off New England for the next six months and said they are considering cutting the amount of cod fishermen in the region will be allowed to catch by up to 75% next year.

Officials and fishermen are struggling to rebuild the popular species whose population levels have hit an all-time low.

The plans follow an estimate in August by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that the number of cod spawning in the Gulf of Maine—which stretches along the Atlantic Coastfrom Cape Cod to Nova Scotia—is only 3% or 4% of the level needed to sustain the fishery.

“This is a stock that is in free fall,” said John Bullard, a regional administrator for NOAA’s fishery arm. The numbers are the worst the agency has seen in 40 years of tracking, he said.

NOAA on Monday announced several interim measures, including rolling closures of one of nation’s best-known cod-fishing areas until April 30.

Regulators had already slashed the 2013 catch limits for Gulf of Maine cod by 77% from the prior year, to 1,550 metric tons. Next year’s catch limit is expected to be less than 400 metric tons, Mr. Bullard said. He said the measures are the region’s best chance of avoiding a collapse of stocks similar to the one that occurred on the east coast of Canada in the 1990s."

[shrimpman steve]

Mixed feelings. Rod and reelers paying the price for trawlers

But at this point the stock must be rebuilt. That is if, and it's a big if, NOAAs numbers are right

[howarda780]

There will be a lot of great deals on boats.

[Capt. Lou]

Fishing up there for years & the last trips cod fishing was good but lots of noticeably smaller fish !
Years back u would have to land a 30#plus or bigger to contend for the pool !
Now it seems any 20# plus can make u daily hero with pollock deciding many pools in that region.
Cusk. , pollock ,with huge numbers of haddock ( albeit ) many short now rule !
However to shut a small rod n reel fleet out of this fishery or even to suggest they help cause this possible collapse is ludicrous !!
When I regularly fished gt tuna in NS during the late sixties & seventies u could catch huge cod in sight of the dock !
Years later the average charter up their couldn't even steam far enough to reach the cod fish or what was left ! Again those guys did not in my opinion contribute one bit to that collapse.
If this goes through most of this small fleet may not survive . Terrible turn of events that we as rod n reel guys again pay the price .