Fishing regulators, saying they were trying to avoid industry collapse, narrowly approved a catch limit for yellowtail flounder on Wednesday that’s twice the amount endorsed by a group that bargains with Canada on the shared catch.

Members of the New England Fishery Management Council said they had no choice but to defy the negotiated catch recommendation, which they said was too low to allow fishermen or scallopers to survive. Their vote came even though the Northeast’s top fishing regulator, John Bullard, warned the higher allocation doesn’t pass legal muster and would be struck down.