In February 2020, CLF petitioned the federal government to take bold action to save Atlantic cod – New England’s most iconic fish species. To date, our petition remains unanswered. Cod cannot wait any longer – we need fishery managers to act now.
“The most powerful way to think about what happened with Carlos Rafael is to think of him as a symptom that the system is broken and not operating properly,” said Peter Shelley, senior counsel for the Foundation.
CLF examined the fishery management system that Carlos “the Codfather” Rafael exploited so successfully – a system that seems to have increasingly benefitted the wealthiest, most politically powerful fishing operations at the expense of traditional community-based fishermen.
“Today’s decision proves that the Council has completely abandoned its duty to develop catch limits that rebuild Atlantic cod to sustainable levels,” said Allison Lorenc, Senior Policy Analyst at CLF. “It is devastating to see this iconic species inch closer to complete collapse, and today’s decision does nothing to prevent that. It’s past time for NOAA Fisheries to disapprove these risky catch limits that don’t comply with the law.”
Climate change struck home for me when the waters at Salisbury Beach recently hit an unheard-of 75 degrees.
The Biden administration has outlined a bold vision for conservation, but the devil is in the details, especially when it comes to protecting 30% of lands and waters by 2030.
Justin Suca, oceanography researcher at WHOI, highlights the crucial role of forage fish for larger species, coastal communities, and the entire ocean ecosystem.
Atlantic cod is in crisis. That’s why CLF petitioned the federal government to take these 5 actions to protect the future of this species.
According to a new study, rising water temperatures put fish eggs and spawning adults at higher risk than juveniles and adult fish. Since previous studies mostly only took adult fish into account, this close look at different life stages gives us a better idea of what the climate crisis means for our fisheries and how we can help save Atlantic cod. One big takeaway: protecting spawning areas, where the vulnerable are, is more critical than ever.
We sat down with CLF Senior Science Fellow Gareth Lawson to discuss the implications of the study and the future of Atlantic cod.
To help rebuild the cod population, scientists and managers must know how many fish are being caught by fishing boats. Thankfully, a recent vote by regional fishery managers brings us one step closer to collecting that valuable information.
