PORTLAND, Maine — Some of New England's embattled cod fishermen say they might go out of business because of a new cost the federal government imposed on some of them Tuesday.
Fishermen of important commercial species such as New England cod and haddock must pay the cost of fishing monitors under new rules that went into effect Tuesday. The monitors, whose services can cost more than $700 per day, collect data to help determine future fishing quotas.
The federal government had been paying the bill, but fishing regulators say there isn't enough money to do so anymore because of other obligations within the National Marine Fisheries Service.
Fishermen, advocates for the industry and a host of New England politicians have said the cost will sink a fleet already struggling with tight catch quotas and dwindling cod populations. Some fishermen also say a cutback in fishing by New England's fleet could make popular food species, including flounder, hake and pollock, less available to consumers.
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