Working Group on Incidental Catch and Discard Mortality of Groundfish in Gulf of Maine Fisheries
Principal Investigator: Yong Chen (Marine Science, UMaine)
Partners: Robert Boenish (Marine Science, UMaine); Jocelyn Runnebaum (Marine Science, UMaine)
Abstract: Groundfish (e.g. Cod, cusk, halibut) stocks in the Gulf of Maine (GOM) currently are at or near historically low population levels. Fishery closures and reductions of quota have caused the loss of thousands of fisheries jobs and stressed Maine’s coastal economies. Recently there has been a surge of innovative fisheries research from a small collection of institutions in the Northeast, all independently directed at solving parts of this fisheries crisis. Fish stock rebuilding will depend on collaboration from the entire spectrum of stakeholders. We propose a meeting of these institutions with industry leaders to form a working group to address this issue.