PORTLAND, Maine - Federal regulators are considering additional restrictions to the Gulf of Maine cod fishing industry.
The New England Fishery Management Council is set to vote on the restrictions at a meeting in Newport, Rhode Island, on Wednesday. The council on Tuesday enacted a quota cut that reduces total allowable cod catch for the 2015 fishing year from 1550 to 386 metric tons. Wednesday's votes could include closing parts of the Gulf of Maine to commercial and recreational fishing.
The council is also considering closing areas to cod fishing gear to protect spawning cod. That could include a prohibition on lobster gear in those same areas. Many lobstermen adamantly oppose that idea.
Regulators say the level of cod spawning in the Gulf is at an all-time low.