Striking a delicate balance

Last week’s decision by fishing regulators to reduce in the amount of cod that can be taken from the Gulf of Maine by 22 percent is an unfortunate, but necessary, move that should provide enough leeway for fishermen to prepare for potentially greater cuts in the future. Overfishing of cod is an old story in Maine, where stocks dwindled from 50 million pounds in 1990 to just 16 million in 1998.