PORTLAND (AP) — The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says there will be no legal possession of cod for recreational fishermen in the Gulf of Maine this year.
Cod is an iconic fish in New England, but catch of it has plummeted in recent years. NOAA said on Thursday that the rule barring recreational possession of the fish in the Gulf of Maine was effective immediately.
Commercial catch of cod fell from more than 30 million pounds in 1995 to less than 3.4 million pounds in 2015.
NOAA also says it’s allowing recreational fishermen to possess up to 12 haddock per day in the Gulf of Maine. The open season for the fish runs from May 1 to Sept. 16, Nov. 1 to Feb. 28 and April 15-30.
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)
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