Regional fishery regulators meeting in Rhode Island have voted to open up large parts of Georges Bank — off Massachusetts — to commercial fishing.
The New England Fishery Management Council voted in favor of the habitat amendment late Thursday afternoon, and the measure will now go before federal officials before its likely implementation next year.
Council spokeswoman Pat Fiorelli says the plan will allow new opportunities for a number of fisheries.
Fiorelli says the council also voted to close some areas that had previously been open to commercial fishing, particularly to protect spawning groundfish.
Conservation groups welcomed some aspects of the council's action, but are opposed to the decision regarding Georges Bank's habitat.
"We're seeing considerable scaling of habitat protection and that part is not such good news," says Jud Crawford, a scientist with the Pew Foundation.
Crawford says the action has worrying implications for the rebuilding of stocks like cod and winter flounder.