PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The level of codfish spawning in one of the most critical fisheries in the Northeast U.S. is at an all-time low.

National Marine Fisheries Service scientists say the amount of cod spawning in the Gulf of Maine is estimated at 3 to 4 percent of its target level. That number declined from 13 to 18 percent three years ago. Scientists say low levels of reproduction in the fishery are holding repopulation back.