BOSTON (AP) — Federal fishing regulators are going to allow fishermen to catch more of an economically important species of fish on the East Coast.
The rule changes apply to blueline tilefish, which is a species that has been caught from Massachusetts to Florida over the years. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s authorizing a quota bump north of the Virginia border with North Carolina.
The new quotas apply for 2019 to 2021 and they are 15 percent more than the 2018 limits. Commercial fishermen will be able to catch nearly 27,000 pounds of the fish, while recreational fishermen will be allowed nearly 72,000 pounds.
Most of the blueline tilefish caught north of North Carolina by commercial fishermen have been caught in Virginia in recent years. The commercial fishery was worth more than $400,000 in 2016.