Northeast cod fishing quotas are set by emergency rule, not new science

The US Commerce Department has temporarily set fishing quotas for cod and other species in the Northeast. This lets fishing boats operate while regulators try to update the science behind the rules.

For years, regulators have struggled to manage Atlantic cod stocks, which are split into two biological units. This temporary rule keeps fishing boats working, but it also means the quotas are not based on the most current scientific understanding of the fish populations. The real change will come when the new scientific model, which divides cod into four distinct populations, is finally adopted. Until then, the fishery operates in a kind of scientific limbo.