Federal regulators are reducing the number of haddock that recreational anglers are allowed to land in the Gulf of Maine.
Allison Ferreira, a spokeswoman for the National Marine Fisheries service, says the number of haddock each angler can catch per day is now reduced from 15 to 12. She says recreational anglers last year accidentally landed too many cod, which are off-limits, while fishing for haddock.
“We need to make sure that the new haddock measures keep the haddock fishery within their recreational catch limit, but also keep the bycatch of cod down,” she says.
Fisheries managers are also reducing some commercial groundfish quotas around the Georges Bank. They announced Monday that the overall cod quota there would be reduced by 12 percent, and the yellowtail flounder quota reduced even more. But quotas for haddock and witch flounder will be increased on the Georges Bank, reflecting stability in those populations.