PORTLAND, Maine - Federal regulators are cutting the maximum amount of cod that fishermen can take from the Gulf of Maine by 75 percent.
The New England Fishery Management Council voted Tuesday to reduce the total allowable cod catch limit from 1,550 to 386 metric tons. Regulators say the level of cod spawning in the Gulf is at an all-time low.
The ruling comes about a week after the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced the emergency closure of commercial and recreational cod fishing in parts of the Gulf. The emergency restrictions hold until May 12 and include a 200-pound limit on how much a vessel can catch during one trip.
The council's Scientific and Statistical Committee previously said 386 metric tons represented an acceptable limit. The council will consider more restrictions Wednesday.
