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Former Fisheries Researcher Says Science On Cod Stocks Is Sound

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New restrictions go into effect tomorrow would effectively halt cod fishing in the Gulf of Maine for the next six months. And in Revere this week, the New England Fishery Management Council's Groundfish Committee is deliberating over possible regulations once those restrictions expire in May.

As the deliberations continue, governor-elect Charlie Baker is repeating his assertion that the state should do more of its own research on the groundfish stock in the Gulf of Maine, rather than relying on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

"It bothers me that NOAA is the sole source of information with respect to this issue and that Massachusetts has never bothered to step up and try and determine on its own, for its industry, what's happening in the seas out there. Because it's a really important question," Baker said.

But many researchers said the data is carefully gathered with the cooperation of state and local researchers, and widely vetted. We speak with one, a former researcher and manager at the National Marine Fisheries Service.

Guest

Andrew Rosenberg, director of the Center for Science and Democracy at the Union of Concerned Scientists and the former deputy director of the National Marine Fisheries Service.

Jack Lepiarz, WBUR reporter. He tweets @lepiarz.

More

Radio Boston: Fisherman Protest Cod Fishing Restrictions In Gulf Of Maine

  • "Fishermen say this will put an end to their livelihoods and many question whether the scientific assessment of the cod population is really accurate. But researchers say years of over-fishing and increasingly warmer waters leave few options."

Radio Boston: Charlie Baker On Fishermen, Tearing Up, And The Final Days Of Campaigning

  • "At this point in time, the federal government makes its decisions on everything associated with catch shares and all the rest — how much people can catch and all of that — based on what I would describe as a pretty random and haphazard approach to figuring this out."

This segment aired on November 12, 2014.

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