Greedy Dogfish Blamed For Mass. Fishery's Problems

October 13, 2009

Release from: Associated Press

CHATHAM, Mass. — Massachusetts fishermen say the once-threatened spiny dogfish has rebounded under federal protections and is threatening their livelihoods.

They say the small shark devours more valuable and scarce fish that regulators are trying to restore, including cod. They say it destroys nets, steals bait and eats catch right off their hooks.

Cape Cod hook fisherman Peter Taylor says the schooling predator is like a plague of locusts that needs to be killed.

Federal regulators say dogfish have been well managed and fishermen aren't seeing the whole picture. But they plan to do a fresh assessment of the stock and how it's measured, beginning in January.

Conservationists say the despised dogfish is a scapegoat for decades of overfishing.