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U.S. NEWS Saturday 25 March 2017

American Living:

Cod fishing catches plummet in waters off New England

PATRICK WHITTLE date to 1950. in 2015. Rhode Island’s to-
Associated Press The Sacred Cod is the nick- tal dropped from 474,908
ROCKPORT, Maine (AP) — name of a wood carving pounds (215,414 kilograms)
The cod isn’t so sacred in of the fish that hangs in to 138,891 pounds (63,000
New England anymore. the Massachusetts State kilograms) from 1997 to
The fish-and-chips staple House. That state remains 2015. The National Ocean-
was once a critical piece the center of the nation’s ic and Atmospheric Admin-
of New England’s fishing Atlantic cod fishery, but istration released an assess-
industry, but catch is plum- the business is in jeopardy ment of the Gulf of Maine
meting to all-time lows in there, too. Catch fell from cod stock in 2014 that said
the region. The decline of nearly 100 million pounds the spawning population
the fishery has made the (45.3 million kilograms) in was at its lowest point in
U.S. reliant on foreign cod, 1980 to less than 3 million the history of the study of
and cod fish fillets and (1.36 million kilograms) in the fish. Scientists have cit-
steaks purchased in Ameri- 2015. The catch of cod in ed years of overfishing and
can supermarkets and res- Maine, and elsewhere in inhospitable environmental
taurants are now typically New England, has fallen conditions as possible rea-
caught by Norway, Russia in the face of increasingly sons for the decline.
or Iceland in the north At- meager quotas allowed by A new assessment is taking
lantic. the federal government. place this year, said Jamie
In Maine, which is home to The government’s catch Cournane, groundfish plan
the country’s second-larg- limit in the Gulf of Maine has coordinator for the New
est Atlantic cod fishery, the fallen from more than 18 England Fishery Manage-
dwindling catch has many million pounds (8.2 million ment Council, which regu-
wondering if cod fishing is kilograms) in 2011 to about lates fisheries under NOAA.
a thing of the past. a million pounds (453,592 Cod are considered
“It’s going to be more and kilograms) last year. groundfish, which are fish
more difficult for people to New Hampshire fishermen that live near the ocean
make this work,” said Mag- Freshly caught cod are stacked on ice waiting for shipment at brought more than 2 million bottom. Several types of
gie Raymond, executive a fish processing plant in Portland, Maine. State data released pounds (90,718 kilograms) groundfish, including had-
director of the Associated in March 2017 show that 2016 was the worst year for the com- of cod to land in 1997. dock, sole and halibut,
Fisheries of Maine. mercial catch of cod in the history of Maine. That dropped to 44,701 have high economic val-
State records say 2016 was (AP Photo/Pat Wellenbach) pounds (20,276 kilograms) ue. q
historically bad for cod fish-
ing in Maine. Fishermen Judge sides with American Samoa fishermen over feds
brought less than 170,000
pounds (77,110 kilograms) FILI SAGAPOLUTELE lie E. Kobayashi also ruled LVPA, to 12 miles from the sion for Tutuila and Aunu’u
of the fish to land in the Associated Press that National Marine Fish- shoreline, allowing vessels islands and the 1904 Deeds
state last year. PAGO PAGO, American eries Service’s change of 50 feet and longer to net of Cession for Manu’a is-
The haul was below the pre- Samoa (AP) — A federal the rule “was arbitrary and hauls once reserved for lo- lands — with the U.S.
vious record low of about judge in Honolulu has ruled capricious.” Fishing waters cal fishermen. The defendants, who in-
250,000 pounds (113,398 that the decision to reduce had been preserved for The plaintiffs, through the clude the National Ocean-
kilograms) a year earlier. the area off-limits to large the local “alia” — or small American Samoa govern- ic and Atmospheric Admin-
Maine’s record year for
cod was 1991, when fish- vessels along the coast of boat — fishing fleet from ment, filed the lawsuit in istration, countered in court
ermen brought more than American Samoa “is in- the shoreline out to 50 miles March 2016 arguing that documents that deeds say
21 million pounds (9.5 mil- valid,” clearing the way for since 2002. Last year, the American Samoa’s cultur- nothing, about fishing or
lion kilograms) of the bot- exclusive access by local National Marine Fisheries al fishing rights are found in marine resources and “that
tom dweller to the docks, fishermen and small boats. Service reduced the large- the two Deeds of Cession silence should not be read
according to records that U.S District Court Judge Les- vessel-protected area, or — the 1900 Deed of Ces- to establish rights.”q