Catch limits for New England cod that are all set to come into effect this week on May 1 will take a big bite out of an industry that dates back to America’s colonial past.

The strict quota on cod taken from the Gulf of Maine will also affect the catch of other similar fish, which means that New England fishermen and seafood dealers would have a scanty supply and will charge a high price for several popular fish.

It has been reported that the New England Fishery Management Council in previous year voted to reduce the total allowable Gulf of Maine cod catch limit from 1,550 to 386 metric tons.

As per conservationists, these strict rules are very necessary to save cod from commercial extinction.

But fisherman on the other hand said that if Gulf of Maine cod, which they call a ‘choke species’ is shut down then they would stop fishing for some other species as well.

Haddock, pollock and hake, similar species like cod, that dwell on the ocean bottom and share space in with it in markets, restaurants and seafood auctions, will also be harder to available for sale.

This means that local sources of the fish could be scarce in the coming years, said Ben Martens, executive director of the Maine Coast Fishermen's Association.

Martens said, “Pollock is what many of our fishermen have been making money on. They will be severely hamstrung by the cod issue they are facing”.

The fish will still be available in New England but the dealers will change high price for the fish in the region and beyond.

Presently the local pollock are selling for about $4 to $7 per pound in Maine, while hake are around $6 to $8 and haddock $8 to $10.