Study predicts economic ruin for fishermen> Conservation restrictions assail

PEABODY, Mass. — Proposals to restrict groundfishing in New England would bankrupt many of the region’s 5,600 groundfishermen and prospects for other employment are bleak, a study for the New England Fisheries Management Council says.

An economic analysis of proposals designed to save stocks of cod, haddock and yellowtail flounder was made public Wednesday.

The study makes official what fishermen and members of the council have been saying for a year.

The council accepted the report, but it also approved a set of options to rebuild depleted fish stocks. Public hearings on the proposals will be held sometime after Labor Day.

The council has been working since last fall on a plan to restore stocks of cod, haddock and yellowtail flounder, which have been a mainstay of New England fishermen for generations.

Four options are contained in the proposal:

Reducing the number of days groundfishermen may fish;

Setting quotas in specific areas;

Closing half of the fishery grounds;

Closing the fishery to all gear capable of catching groundfish.

Supporters say the proposals would allow stocks of groundfish to rebound within a decade. But fishermen’s advocates maintain that conservation measures begun last year are enough to bring the fish back.

The study concluded that the profile of the New England fishing fleet would change dramatically if the council’s conservation proposals were ultimately approved.

“The continued loss of fishing revenue will push many groundfishermen into bankruptcy,” the study said.

Some boats would shift to other species, while others would leave the fisheries altogether, the study said. Fishermen who tried to find jobs back on shore would find a weak economy, it said.

“Some may move their boats to other regions of the country or even other countries in search of catch,” the study said.