BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 2, 2022
Officials who oversee fishing in the Gulf of Maine and the entire East Coast are taking a hard look at how fishery regulations will need to evolve in order to keep up with the accelerated and unpredictable changes wrought by climate change. Fishery managers from organizations across the eastern seaboard are brainstorming scenarios they could face in the coming decades as water temperatures rise, fish stocks fluctuate and species push into new areas. Several fishery experts said they’ll likely have to reimagine how management has worked in the past. One of the biggest focuses is looking at shifting fish populations. It’s something that’s already happening in the Gulf of Maine, which is warming 99 percent faster than the rest of the world’s oceans and just recorded its highest water temperatures ever last year.