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Feds to Issue Recommendation on Cod Shortage

SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine — Federal regulators are set to issue a recommendation about the future of the Gulf of Maine's declining cod fishery.

The federal New England Fishery Management Council's Groundfish Oversight Committee will meet Wednesday to discuss a recommendation, which could include shutting down the fishery or imposing a stricter quota.

The U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service says the amount of cod spawning in the Gulf is estimated at only 3 to 4 percent of its target level. That number represents a decline from 13 to 18 percent three years ago.

The New England Fishery Management Council is working on new management measures for the fish. The full council will consider the ground fish committee's recommendation at its meeting later this month.

Wednesday's committee meeting begins at 9 a.m. in South Portland.