ALL-TIME LOW FOR COD, BUT REBOUND MAY BE NEAR

Atlantic cod was once the backbone of New England’s fishing fleet, but catch has plummeted in the wake of overfishing and environmental changes. The 2016 catch, the most recent to be fully tabulated, was the lowest in recorded history, according to statistics from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. But NOAA officials said there are some positive signs for the cod stock, and quotas are set to increase slightly this spring after years of heavy cutbacks. Fishermen seek cod in the Gulf of Maine and on Georges Bank, and both areas are scheduled for quota bumps on May 1. “The quotas are so constraining that there’s not a lot of opportunity and interest in targeting cod,” said Ben Martens, executive director of the Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association. “But we’re headed in the right direction.”