Fishery management officials meeting in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Jan. 30, imposed drastic new cuts to the cod harvest off the Atlantic coast, arguing that the only way to save the centuries-old fishery is to sharply limit it.
But New England fishermen say they face being driven out of business by the draconian cod catch limits. "I'm bankrupt. That's it," said fisherman Paul Vitale, 40, a third-generation fisherman from Gloucester, Mass. "I'm all done. The boat's going up for sale."
The New England Fishery Management Council approved a year-to-year cut of 77% on the Gulf of Maine cod limit and 61% for Georges Bank cod. The move, adopted by a deeply divided regional council, is expected to be approved by federal managers at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
In the 1600s, the lowly cod was so abundant in the cold North Atlantic waters that, along with boatbuilding and timbering, it provided the foundation of the New England economy. In the 1700s, a "sacred cod" was bestowed on the State House in Massachusetts, where it hangs to this day as a symbol of the importance of cod fishing to the region.
But over recent decades, the once bountiful cod has been so depleted that government officials now say that it stands on the verge of extinction. The new limits on cod not only reduce the catch to a fraction of what it once was, but prevent fishermen from landing more plentiful species, such as haddock and pollock.
That's because fishermen can't pull up the healthier groundfish without catching too much of the cod that swim among them. The catch limits go into effect May 1, the start of the 2013 fishing year, and combine with a slew of reductions, ranging from 10% to 71%, on other local species of haddock and flounder.
An economic analysis by the council indicated that the cuts would reduce overall groundfish revenues by 33%, from about $90 million in 2011 to about $60 million in 2013. But fishermen said the projection is too optimistic. "It's fantasy," said David Goethel, another fisherman. "I mean, I'd rather go to Disney World. I've got a better chance of meeting Peter Pan."
