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Proliferation of Fishing Industry -- "Sacred Cod"
In the year 1500 to 1900, from Canada to New Jersey, cod fish , or ground fish in general, are extremely abundant. There is a proliferation of the fishing industry and the fish yield sustains the fishing industry for 450 years. -
Technology Destabalizes Ground fish Population
Steam-powered trawlers that drag nets across the ocean floor posed threats to bottom-dwelling animals and plants. -
Crash in Georges Bank haddock Fishery
The issue was still considered minor. After the fishers shifted their activities northward, the haddock recovered. There is a pattern on other species as well, but the speies are able to recover as the fishers can move on to other species. -
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Factory Ships Roam North Atlandtic
In mid-1950s, factory ships from Europe and Soviet Union roamed North Atlantic. Over-fishing started to get serious. They can bring over 500 tons of fish in a single haul. -
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Groundfish Landings increased
Total groundfish landings increased from 200,000 to 760,000 metric tons. -
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Damage on Ground Fish
Groundfish populations declined almost 70%. By 1974, many species had fallen to the lowest levels ever recorded. -
Decline in Haddock
There is a pronounced decline in haddock since 1967. -
ICNAF instituted a quota system
International Commission for Northwest Atlantic Fisheries instituted a management system allocating quotas by country in fishing. The quotas ended groundfish harvesting on Georges Bank by all but American and Canadian fishers. -
Fishing Vessels Swarmed across Atlantic
1,076 fishing vessels swarmed across the Atlantic to fish North American waters. Their catch was 10 times the New England Catch. However, even with more advanced methods, the catch per vessel went down. -
NEFSC Scientists Issue Warnings on Fishing Cuts
Based on stock assessment, they issued strong warnings to cut back fishing of the region's groundfish. -
Federal Government Passed the Magnuson Fisheries Conservation and Management Act
To rejuvenate the Amercian fishing fleet and to restore and conserve fish stocks. -
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Intensification of fishing practices
Number of otter trawlers doubled. New England fleet was catching double the level of fish. In 1983, the catches started to decline. -
Interim Groundfish FMP for Commerce Department approval
Deviced starting from 1978. The approval, however, weakened controls on fishing. Quotas and trip limits are abandaned, they employed age-at-entry controls instead. -
Northeast Multispecies FMP
The council proposed formalizing the open fishing regime. -
Revision of Magnuson Act Regulations
NOAA scientists reviseda section of the Magnuson Act regulations: defined overfishing. -
The Conservation Law Foundation Lawsuit
CLF filed a lawsuit against the secretary of commerce. The legal theory underpinning CLF comoplaint was that Magnuson Act imposed a mandatory duty on the secretary of commerce to ensure that all FMPs met the natioal standards. -
Signed a Consent Decree with New England Council
The decree compelled the council to develop a stock rebuilding plan. -
Emergency Order from NMFS to lose George Bank
The NMFS, after receiving a report on groundfish being severely depleted, closed the eastern portion of Georges Bank to fishing for a month. -
New England Council approved Amendment 5 to Northeast Multispecies FMP
The goal is to reduce the groundfish catch to 50% of pre-1994 levels. -
Magnuson Act Expired
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Provisions of Amendment 5 took effect
Federal Regulators planned to close a large swath of the Great South Channel and portions of Stellwagen Bank and Jeffreys Ledge. -
New England Council Recommended Expanded Closures
The council voted an emergency measure to close indefinitely vast areas of the Gulf and Maine. The Council also proposed a quota system limiting catches close to shore. -
Department of Commerce officially closed Georges Bank
The ban was decided to be lifted no earlier than March 1995 -
Extended 90-day Closure Indefinitely
To allow time for a new plan. -
Fishing Capacity Reduction Program
The Commerce Department initiated a 2 million Fishing Capacity Reduction Program to compensate fishers who retired their fishing vessels and groundfish permits and thereby reduced ecess capacity in the fleet. -
Passing of Amendment 7
Cut back fishing of groundfish by 80% instead of 50%. The proposal gradually phased in days-at-sea limits for cod. -
Passing of Sustainable Fisheries Act -- Reauthorization of Magnuson Act
Revisions on 'overfishing' and 'optimum yield'. -
Amendment 7 in effect
in the assessment of Amendment 7 six month later, it is said that overfishing had been halted for all stocks, and even showing increases. They further strictened the regulations. -
Framework Adjustments to the groundfish FMP
Reduce total cod catch by 63%, take effect in May 1998; adjustment 24 limited Gulf of Maine cod landings and days-at-sea. Close Gulf of Maine later in the summer. Decrease of 80% by 1999. -
Closure of cod fishery off the Massachusetts coast
Emergency 3 month losure. -
Framework Adjustment 27
Expanded rolling closures and cut the daily catch limtis. -
Fishing Capacity Reducing Program
Congress authorized more money to the program to purchase latnet groundfishing permits. -
Groundfish FMP
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Ocean Law Project filed a Lawsuit against the Department of Commerce on CLF
Lawsuit on Conservation Law Foundatio, the Natural Resources Defence Coucil, the Center for Marine Conservation, and the National Audubon Society. Force NMFS to adopt a plan that sets bycatch rules and establishes a more stringent definition of overfishing.