PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • April 13, 2020
April 13, 1976: President Gerald Ford signs the Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1976, which affects Maine’s fishing industry directly. It establishes an exclusive fishing zone 200 miles out to sea from all U.S. coastlines. The law, which prescribes fishery management through eight regional councils, is partly a response to declining fish stocks and overfishing by foreign vessels.