Plankton failure could lead to fewer haddock at Georges Bank

WOODS HOLE, Mass.—Federal fishery researchers say last fall's plankton bloom failed to develop on the region's prime fish breeding and feeding ground of Georges Bank, which could reduce the amount of haddock there.

The Northeast Fisheries Science Center's Office of Marine Ecosystem Studies issued its spring 2008 advisory on Monday. This spring's bloom will be reported next fall. The report said the Georges Bank fall blooms have failed about one year in three, for the past decade, and it is not clear why. The center's Mike Fogarty says last fall's failure could impact fishing in two years.

The report said long-term warming on some parts of the northeast U.S. Continental Shelf may also have caused some species of fish to drift north.

Georges Bank is home to vast numbers of fish species attracted by plentiful supplies of plankton thriving where warm and cold ocean currents meet in shallow waters rich in sunlight.