Federal fishing managers are beginning the process of determining how the nation's harvest of wild fish has been impacted by the government shutdown.
The New England Fishery Management Council is meeting this week in Portsmouth. The council is one of several charged by the feds with crafting fishing regulations and managing fisheries.
Members of the council said Tuesday their meeting this week will primarily be about determining how the 35-day federal shutdown has affected fishery management plans. The shutdown left the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration mostly shuttered, and that halted the scientific work that managers rely on to write regulations.
The New England council manages economically important species such as lobsters, scallops, cod and flounder.
