New Englander Scuttles Business Under U.S. Plan to Save Fisheries
Donald Lowe Jr. sold his boat and fishing permits to the government Wednesday, becoming the first New England fisherman to bail out under a $2-million federal plan to restore depleted Atlantic Ocean fisheries.
“The program allowed me to make a choice. There aren’t many choices for a fisherman today,” Lowe said after he accepted a check for $142,500.
The once-rich fishing grounds off New England have been depleted of cod, haddock and flounder--the main species known as groundfish--by a combination of overfishing and natural causes.
In response, regulators have closed most of George’s Bank, increased the mesh size of nets to make sure immature fish escape, reduced quotas and curtailed the days fishermen are allowed at sea.
Others plan to get out of the fishing business entirely, but Lowe plans to turn to lobstering.
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