Understanding the historical, scientific and human dimensions that influenced the fish, fishermen and management decisions is a necessary step to begin harmonizing the fishery with the ecosystem. How we came to the current situation, and missed opportunities to put the fishery on a sustainable basis form the thesis of this review. Now even the venerable Atlantic Cod, resilient to years of overfishing, could join the ranks of species written-off as commercially extinct. Atlantic halibut, ocean perch, haddock and yellowtail flounder once fed millions of Americans.
A continuing trend over the past century has been the overexploitation and eventual collapse of species after species. The diversity and productivity of New England fisheries was once unequaled. Increasingly efficient fishing methods, competition between fleet sectors employing various gears, inability to act in harmony with international partners, and the failure to heed scientific advice sound like current themes, but in fact have been echoed repeatedly since the turn of the century. Many of the problems currently faced by the industry were foreseen as early as the first decade of the new century. This review is intended to look back to the beginnings of the 20th century, and to follow the development of groundfishing to the current times.
