BOSTON (AP) — Federal fishing regulators say they’re reducing the quota for a small species of shark that is fished commercially off the East Coast.
Fishermen catch spiny dogfish off the eastern states, from Maine to North Carolina. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says quota for the dogfish will be cut by nearly 50 percent this year.
That will leave the commercial quota at about 20.5 million pounds.
Cape Cod fishermen have been catching dogfish in large numbers for several years.
The agency says the quota will climb back up in 2020 and 2021 because the dogfish population is expected to grow.
That would bring with it a reduced risk of overfishing the species, which is harvested for use as food. Dogfish are primarily consumed in Europe.