A petition supporting actions to update regulations on closed areas from citizens who would be affected by them is being submitted to the New England Fisheries Management Council at its June 18-20th meeting.
575 members of the fishing community and related industries signed the petition and nearly 250 reached out to their representatives in Congress.
The regulations, part of Framework 48 and the Omnibus Habitat Amendment, allow limited access to existing closed areas, and modify the boundaries of other closures to better align with the most recent scientific data. The decision to allow fishing boats to apply for access to enter the closures has been met with opposition by some environmental groups, which allege that the measure damages conservation efforts. The petition supports these measures, as well as the other modifications to the closed areas, as a way to provide relief to a struggling fishery, while still allowing NOAA to conserve essential fish habitats.
Petition Text
Support Efforts to Update Closed Areas
After years of analysis of the most up-to-date scientific data, the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) is considering modifications to the boundaries of areas in Georges Bank currently closed to scallop and groundfish fishing. The Council determined that these borders, closed since the mid-1990s, should be redefined in light of new information on habitat and changes in fisheries management. The Council will be implementing changes through the Omnibus Habitat Amendment, Framework 48, and other actions to protect essential habitat and again allow fishermen and scallopers to access these productive fishing grounds.
Despite extensive new evidence indicating that the closed areas are located in the wrong places to protect marine habitats, environmental organizations like the Pew Environment Group and the Conservation Law Foundation have defended the status quo. Deploying hyperbolic headlines like "Time is Running Out for New England's Iconic Groundfish," these groups are ignoring solid, peer-reviewed science indicating that these modifications will actually provide a net benefit for New England marine habitats while allowing fishermen and scallopers to harvest the resource at sustainable levels.
We support a science-based fishery management policy that takes into account both the most recent scientific data, as well as the socioeconomic well-being of fishing communities, as required by the Magnuson-Stevens Act. Many fishermen, facing economic hardship and potential unemployment after severe cuts in fishing quota, are looking for relief, which these proposals can provide.
We urge the Council and NOAA to resist pressure from environmental groups to stop the opening of productive scalloping and fishing grounds.
Read the full petition and view the signatures