The New England Fishery Management Council has started the process needed to consider a framework adjustment to the Atlantic Herring Fishery Management Plan.
The council, during a meeting on 23 September, decided to initiate the framework adjustment to consider spawning protections for herring over multiple areas off the coast of the Northeast U.S. According to a release by the NEFMC, the council didn’t set a specific range of alternatives to consider in the potential action because of the wide range of issues involved.
To reach the decision, the council looked at a number of data sources, gleaned from historical spawning areas, trawl surveys, larval distribution and diet studies, sampling programs. The Gulf of Maine Research Institute was contracted to review scientific research – both current and historical – as well as any other relevant information.
The council is planning to work on the adjustment through 2020.
The herring fishery has been a noteworthy topic in the Northeast, especially in the Maine lobster industry. Lobstermen historically have used herring for bait, but massive quota cuts for the species had many worried about a potential bait shortage in May. That bait shortage was offset partially by a slow start to the lobster season.
Image courtesy of NEFMC
