PORTLAND, Maine - Fishery regulators are shutting down herring fishing in the inshore Gulf of Maine because fishermen are approaching their catch limit for the important bait fish.
The National Marine Fisheries Service projects more than 90 percent of the catch quota for the area will be harvested by Nov. 2. The inshore Gulf of Maine will close at noon that day and remain shut down until further notice.
Atlantic herring fishing is a major industry on the East Coast that accounted for more than $29 million in value and 200 million pounds of fish in 2014.
The fish is used as bait for higher value species such as lobster and also sold commercially as food.