Executive Summary

Many commercial fisheries today are on the brink of extinction. The New England Groundfishery is one of the most famous examples of overfishing and ineffective management in the world. While groundfishers target a wide range of species, I am interested in the future of the Atlantic Cod, Gadus morhua. My study, a senior undergraduate thesis in the Environmental Studies Department at Brown University, looks at the past and present state of the Atlantic Cod fishery in the Gulf of Maine and makes predictions for the future of the species.

Using data from a wide variety of sources I set the stage for the current Atlantic Cod fishery by providing background on the cod itself and describe the changes in fishing pressure and technology over time. I compared commercial and recreational cod landings with each other and against scientific Bottom Trawl Surveys conducted by the Northeast Fisheries Science Center of the National Marine Fisheries Service. Trends in cod fishers and price were also examined. These figures were then overlaid with historical regulatory changes in an attempt to observe which regulations have had the most beneficial impact on the cod populations. It appears that increases in minimum mesh sizes have had the largest effect on both commercial landings and NEFSC Bottom Trawl Surveys. In addition, the implementation of "No-Take Zones" and a moratorium on new groundfish permits also appears to have increased landings and trawl numbers. In response to this, I recommend that further increases in mesh sizes be implemented on an annual basis. In addition, "No-Take Zones" should be created on both a permanent and a temporary level in response to landings and trawl data.

This thesis attempts to create a readily available source of information for cod fishers. The data and figures produced by scientists and regulators are often very complicated and difficult to understand. I have researched the available data, drawn my own conclusions and presented my arguments in a way that those other than scientists and regulators can more easily comprehend.

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