PORTLAND, Maine — Commercial fishermen in New England are facing sharp cuts in their catch limits next year because of the poor condition of populations of so-called groundfish.
The New England Fishery Management Council groundfish committee was discussing the looming cuts for 2013 at a meeting Thursday in Portsmouth, N.H.
Regulators say several important groundfish species are in poor shape and some catch limits will have to be reduced sharply from this year's levels.
The final numbers aren't in, but officials say preliminary information indicates the catch limits will go down by 70 percent or more for certain cod and haddock stocks, and 51 percent for Georges Bank yellowtail flounder.
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