MYSTIC, CT \u2013 Back in April when the New England Fishery Management Council was gathered here, member David Goethel of New Hampshire described the groundfish fleet\u2019s downward slide in the following fashion.<\/p>\n
In the 1990s, he said, \u201cWe had an overcapacity issue with groundfish, and we dealt with it the best we could.\u201d<\/p>\n
But shortly after the council \u201cgot serious\u201d about addressing the problem, the ocean itself underwent a \u201cmassive decline in productivity and basically masked everything we did,\u201d Goethel said.<\/p>\n
Referencing data being used in the development of Amendment 18 to the federal groundfish plan, which is intended to address fleet diversity issues and \u201caccumulation caps,\u201d Goethel pointed out that 1,200 boats landed groundfish in 2000 while only 450 did so in 2011.\u00a0 Of those 450, only 135 were \u201cprincipally dependent\u201d on groundfish, meaning they derived more than 50% of their income from groundfish.<\/p>\n
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Read the rest and much, much more in the August issue of Commercial Fisheries News. Read online<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n
immediately and download for future reference. [add_to_cart=3035]<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n Water temperature, ocean patterns\u00a0altering fish behavior, distribution MYSTIC, CT \u2013 Back in April when the New England Fishery Management Council was gathered here, member David Goethel of New Hampshire described the groundfish fleet\u2019s downward slide in the following fashion. In the 1990s, he said, \u201cWe had an overcapacity issue with groundfish, and we dealt with … <\/p>\n