Fishermen meet amid bleak cod prospects

[February 11, 2012]  PORTSMOUTH, N.H. (AP) -- Fishermen and federal officials are grappling with the increasingly bleak prospect of finding a way for the fishing industry to survive troubles in the health of Gulf of Maine cod.

Fishermen, scientists and regulators met Friday in Portsmouth, N.H.

Last, week, regional regulators bought fisherman a yearlong reprieve from what would have been devastating cuts in the cod catch in 2012. But projections discussed Friday showed fishermen still face disastrous cuts in 2013 that most won't survive.

Sam Rauch, the head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's fisheries service, said his agency is deeply concerned because the industry as it exists is unlikely to survive such cuts.

The cod was thought to be healthy just four years ago. But new data -- which fishermen hotly dispute -- indicate the cod is severely overfished.

[Associated Press; By JAY LINDSAY]

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