Some Management Techniques and Their Effects In North America,
fishing regulations were implemented well before the turn of the
20th century. For example, season closures for some marine
fisheries were implemented as early as the 1600s and by the time
of the American Revolution, numerous statutes were in place
regulating fish harvest. Since the 1960s there has been a broad
trend toward more restrictive harvest regulations including the
reduction in the number of fish that can be harvested and the
use of restrictive length limits. Additionally, water and
species-specific regulations have become common throughout the
United States. Whereas seasonal closures and creel limits were
often the only regulations implemented at the turn of the 20th
century, slot length limits and length-based creel limits are
now used more widely to control harvest. Fishing regulations are
implemented for many reasons. In Maine, fishing regulations are
implemented to improve fishing quality or to maintain population
viability, to alter