MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • March 2, 2025
According to the Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association, there were more than 300 boat operators catching cod, haddock, pollock, halibut and flounder for a living in the early 1990s. In 2024, there were around 30. Once a major economic engine of Maine’s coastal region, the groundfishing industry is disappearing. At grocery stores and markets across Maine, it’s often easier to find cod caught in the Norwegian Sea than in the Gulf of Maine. Fishermen, scientists and advocates chalk the sharp decline up to a tangle of issues: unstable markets, regulatory changes, outdated science, competition with countries like Iceland and Norway and depleting fish stocks.