Future For Gulf Of Maine Fishermen Bleak Under Cod Ban

GLOUCESTER — On the cusp of what is effectively a six-month ban on cod fishing, Russell Sherman could have spent Tuesday on the Gulf of Maine trying to catch what he could.

Instead, he never left Jodrey State Pier, opting to work on repairs to the 72-foot fishing vessel he wants to sell, rather than make a final run for cod. And he had harsh words for the federal officials who oversee the fishing industry.

“They say, ‘Oh, we’re so sorry, boys. We got to do this. We got to do it for the fish,’ ” Sherman, 66, said from the Lady Jane. “ ‘Now go out of business quietly, will you.’ ”

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