December 23, 2004

MarineFisheries Advisory

COD CONSERVATION ZONE ESTABLISHED –

Prohibition on gillnetting & reduced trip limit for other gears

MarineFisheries is taking the following emergency actions to conserve cod stocks in a portion of state waters to be known as the Cod Conservation Zone (see map below) extending from the Massachusetts shoreline to the territorial seas line that are north of latitude 42º 20’and south of 42º 30’ latitude:

http://striped-bass.com/images/codspawnzone.jpg
· Gillnet prohibition: no fishing, setting, or abandoning of any gillnet in the Cod Conservation Zone;

· Commercial Fishery Limits reduced to no more than 300 lbs. of cod in possession in any 24 hour period within the Cod Conservation Zone; and

· Recreational Fishery Limits amended by implementing a 300 lb. cod limit per vessel regardless of the number of persons or anglers onboard.

These measures will be effective 0001 hours on Wednesday, December 29th and will run through February 28, 2005.

MarineFisheries is taking these actions due to intense fishing (commercial and recreational) on a cod spawning aggregation within state waters, a conservation issue worthy of extraordinary state measures, beyond the current state and federal rules. The gillnet fishery as prosecuted in this area is resulting in excess catches that are either discarded or laid fallow in nets and the area cannot accommodate growth in the commercial and recreational fishery sectors.

thats great news.
just hope that the cod can make it into that area before they get wiped out.

Well said Mike