On Monday, New Hampshire joined a lawsuit filed in May by Massachusetts to block new regulations on groundfishing.
By “groundfish” we’re talking haddock, cod, and flounder, three fish that are essential to the region’s fishing industry.
In April, the U.S. Secretary of Commerce reduced catch limits for these species by 77 percent, not long after declaring the Northeast fisheries a federal disaster.
According to the Commerce Department, the New England Seacoast’s fish stocks were declining for reasons unknown.
In May, Massachusetts filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Secretary of Commerce, citing the devastating impact such catch limits would have on families, businesses, and communities along the seacoast.
In announcing New Hampshire’s participation in the case, Attorney General Foster cited the need to make sure New Hampshire’s needs were adequately represented along with Massachusetts’. As N.H. Fish and Game's Doug Grout put it, "the state wanted to have some input into whatever the remedy is that the court would come up with."
