BOSTON — The recreational fishery for a species of fish that has experienced population collapse in recent history could reopen.
Recreational fishing for Atlantic cod has not been allowed in the Gulf of Maine recently because of concerns about the decline in the fish’s population. But the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says the fish could withstand a very limited fishery at the moment.
Federal regulators are considering a proposal to allow recreational fishermen to catch one Gulf of Maine cod per year during limited seasons in September and April.
The Gulf of Maine is off Massachusetts, Maine and New Hampshire and once teemed with cod, which is the namesake of Cape Cod.
The National Marine Fisheries Service is collecting public comment on the change until May 28.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
