Soaring catch figures for Atlantic herring off the coast of New England has some fishermen worried that depleting the population will have long-term effects on the industry and the environment.
According to the Portland Press-Herald, recent catches are the highest they’ve been since 2009, and some fishermen for other species worry that a vital food source may be disappearing.
Advocates are calling for closer monitoring of herring stocks to make sure that overfishing doesn’t upset the balance, which they say could damage other fisheries in the region and related businesses such as whale watch tours.
In response, one herring fishermen said he didn’t believe the stocks were in danger, and that there is no evidence proving that the herring fishery was placing any other fisheries at risk.