© 2024 New Hampshire Public Radio

Persons with disabilities who need assistance accessing NHPR's FCC public files, please contact us at publicfile@nhpr.org.
Support
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Donate your vehicle during the month of April or May and you'll be entered into a $500 Visa gift card drawing!

The Fishing Industry in New Hampshire

Sam Beebe/Ecotrust
/
Flickr/Creative Commons

The Fishing Industry in New Hampshire

Measuring around 18 miles long, New Hampshire has the smallest shoreline of all coastal states.  But for about 400 years, it’s been enough to support small boat fishermen in the Seacoast region.  They make their livings cruising New England’s waters for cod, lobster, shrimp and other stocks.

For decades, the industry’s been challenged by declining populations of fish and shellfish, as well as changing federal regulations.  As of 2010, New England fishermen are allowed to catch a set poundage of fish based on their take over a 10-year span.  New Hampshire fishermen argue this change has made the cost of working outpace profits, forced many small boats out of business, and discouraged new people from entering the industry. 

No matter the cause, figures from the US Census Bureau clearly show an industry in decline.  In Portsmouth, the Seacoast’s main city, the Census Bureau reports only 0.2 percent of residentswork in the “Farming, fishing and forestry occupations” category.  That’s compared to 0.6 percent in 2000.  A number of New Hampshire fishermen, politicians, and historians believe that without change, the state’s small boat fishing industry is heading toward extinction.

Summary provided by StateImpact NH

Load More

You make NHPR possible.

NHPR is nonprofit and independent. We rely on readers like you to support the local, national, and international coverage on this website. Your support makes this news available to everyone.

Give today. A monthly donation of $5 makes a real difference.