FILE – In this May 1, 2006 file photo, freshly caught cod are stacked on ice waiting for shipment at a fish processing plant in Portland, Maine. State data released in March 2017 show that 2016 was the worst year for the commercial catch of cod in the history of Maine. (AP Photo/Pat Wellenbach, File)
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — U.S. fishing regulators say they have signed off on a catch share agreement with Canada that would give American fishermen less access to haddock and slightly more access to cod in a key fishing area.
The U.S. shares the total allowable catch for eastern Georges Bank cod and haddock with Canada. Eastern Georges Bank is a piece of ocean located east of New England and south of Nova Scotia.
The New England Fishery Management Council accepted a 2018 catch share plan on Wednesday. The plan reduces the U.S.’s quota for eastern Georges Bank haddock by nearly 33 million pounds and increases the cod quota in the area by almost 250,000 pounds.
The council says the cut in haddock quota will help improve long term stability in the industry.
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