New England Fishermen Say New Regulations May Lead To Ruin
Not long after New England fishery managers meeting in Portsmouth, New Hampshire took a vote that cast doubt on the historic industry's future.
New Bedford fisherman Carlos Rafael said "I've done everything they told me to do, and all of the sudden I come up to a meeting today, and they're going to send me in a coffin out of this place." Rafael said he may have to sideline half of his feelt of 20 boats. Antoher long time fisherman said "I'm bankrupt, that's it."
The comments are in response to the council's approval of a year-to-year cut of 77 percent on the Gulf Of Maine cod limit and a 61 percent cut for Georges Bank cod. Fisherman say now they're staring at industry collapse because they've been left with too few fish for most boats to make a living.
The cuts take effect May 1st if approved by federal managers at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).