Feds OK sixfold increase on vital fish stock

The U.S. Secretary of Commerce has officially approved a sixfold increase in the catch limit of a key fish stock.
Gary Locke said Wednesday he was raising the limit on pollock from six to 36 million pounds.

Fishermen had pressed hard for the change. Under a new management system, fishing stops on all species if the limit is reached on one. Fishermen said the pollock limit was so low it would be too quickly reached.

Regulators predicted the increase last month, saying new science had showed pollock was far healthier than first believed. Fishermen welcomed the news, but some said the low original assessment showed huge flaws in fishery science.

Congressmen including John Kerry and Barney Frank are pushing for similar increases in other stocks fishermen say were set too low, such as yellowtail flounder.