The feds clamped down on overfishing in Atlantic and Gulf waters yesterday, announcing tough new restrictions on fishing for sharks, tuna, marlin, sailfish, spearfish, and other species. The plan, drawn up over the course of two years by the National Marine Fisheries Service, also makes an unprecedented month-long closure of some bluefin tuna fisheries off New Jersey and may close areas off Florida to protect swordfish. Predictably, commercial fishers complained that the new plan would put more people out of business and raise seafood prices, while environmentalists argued that more drastic action was needed to protect the Atlantic swordfish.
