The Atlantic Marine States Fisheries Commission decided against cutting back on the amount of rockfish that can be harvested next year. The proposal originally could have meant watermen would have to make do with as much as a 50-percent reduction in next year’s harvest. Last year, recreational and commercial fishermen caught more than four-and-a-half-million pounds of rockfish. Representatives from states along the north Atlantic Coast say they are not catching many rockfish anymore and say overfishing in Mid-Atlantic States is to blame. Reps from those states say population numbers do not suggest overfishing is occurring. One Maryland rep tells the “Baltimore Sun” if the rockfish population is a concern, the commission should come up with new protections for menhaden today, since that is the primary food source for rockfish.