Dec 08, 2021

Regional Fishing Council Recommends New Catch Limits for Atlantic Cod

“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.”

To save Atlantic cod, CLF petitioned the federal government to take five conservation and management measures. Photo: Brian Skerry
Jul 26, 2021

Bill to Reauthorize Federal Fisheries Law Introduced in U.S. House

 “With several New England fish populations in perpetual crisis, now is the time to strengthen the Magnuson-Stevens Act,” said Peter Shelley, Senior Counsel at CLF. “Congressman Huffman’s bill has the potential to address the impacts of the climate crisis on our fisheries and improve protection of important habitat from destructive fishing gear, but it also risks weakening core provisions of the law that are essential for rebuilding overfished species. We’ll be continuing our push to end overfishing and rebuild our region’s threatened fish populations as this bill moves through Congress.”

Nov 23, 2020

Cod, Climate Change, and Protected Areas

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.

Kelp Forest and Red Cod
Sep 08, 2020

Our Ocean Is Part of the Climate Solution

As we celebrate the four-year anniversary of New England’s national monuments, CLF is part of a growing movement of scientists, policymakers, businesses, and conservation organizations in the United States and around the world calling for the global protection of at least 30% of land and 30% of the ocean by 2030.

Jul 31, 2020

We Must Protect More of Our Ocean

We know that to protect biodiversity and build our ocean’s resilience to climate change, we must protect much more of New England’s ocean.

Cashes Ledge kelp forest
May 28, 2020

The Real Fishwives of Cashes Ledge

A key step to saving Atlantic cod is protecting the mother fish that lay exponentially more eggs than their smaller, younger counterparts. Protecting area where these BOFFFFs, or Big Old Fat Fertile Female Fish, live and spawn is crucial to a healthy cod population.

Text: The Real Fishwives of Cashes Ledge. Image: Cartoon cod