Regional Fishery Council Looks To Protect Atlantic Herring

Federal regulators are working on a plan to change the rules they use to set catch limits for Atlantic herring.

Regulators say herring are an important species because they are used for food and bait and they also play a critical role in the Atlantic Ocean's food web. They say the new rules will make sure the species isn't overfished.

Federal statistics say Maine and Massachusetts had by far the largest commercial Atlantic herring fisheries in the country in 2013. Fishermen in the two states combined to catch more than 170 million pounds of the fish, valued at more than $25 million.

The New England Fishery Management Council is holding a public meeting about the proposal on Thursday in Danvers, Massachusetts, and accepting comments about it until April 30.