Dogfish shark value frustrates anglers aiming for other fish
Fishermen in the Gulf of Maine are catching more dogfish sharks, but often throw them overboard because the creature’s commercial value lags far behind the likes of cod or haddock.
The Portland Press Herald reported University of New England biologist James Sulikowski said the number of spawning dogfish outnumber cod 23 to 1. In 1998, regulators imposed strict catch limits to protect the species from overfishing. But as the dogfish population rises, its commercial value has continued to drop, now earning fishermen around 14 cents per pound.
In 1990, Maine fishermen landed 6.4 million pounds of dogfish compared with 100,000 pounds landed in 2010.
As the species recovers, federal regulators have raised catch quotas, but demand in major markets has collapsed, partly because Europeans have started to replace the shark with other fish, the newspaper reported.
Regional regulators are looking for input about catch limits for the 2014 and 2015 fishing seasons. The Mid Atlantic Fishery Management Council wants to keep a 4,000-pound-per-trip limit on the species. The New England Fishery Management Council wants it eliminated. Rob Odlin, a Scarborough fisherman, told the newspaper elimination of that limit would make catching the fish more attractive.
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