Haddock, U.S. Hook and Line Caught

 Haddock is a whitefish popular in New England cuisine and frequently found in traditional fish and chips. It is thought to be low in contaminants. Since 2004, haddock stocks have rebounded from previously declining levels, with the help of various management efforts. Now, their populations are not considered to be overfished, and overexploitation is not occurring. Of the two major stocks of haddock in New England, one, the Georges Bank population, has now reached twice its level, and the other, the Gulf of Maine population, is at 99 percent of its target level. Haddock is primarily caught with trawls, which can damage the seafloor, cover or remove animal and plant life, and catch large amounts of bycatch (non-target species).  Improvements to trawl design since 2007 have greatly reduced the amount of bycatch caught in haddock dragnets, and this is a positive step for the fishery.  Haddock can also be caught by hook and line, which often is associated with less bycatch and reduced habitat damage.