WASHINGTON (Saving Seafood) June 26, 2013 —
"Laws alone, without cooperation, communication and respect between regulators and the regulated community, do not achieve results."
On June 25, the Providence Journal published an opinion piece by Saving Seafood Executive Director Bob Vanasse, responding to an op-ed by The Pew Charitable Trusts' Peter Baker that was previously published by the Journal on May 16. Below is the full version of Mr. Vanasse's response.You can also view the shortened version that ran in the Providence Journal here.
An op-ed by The Pew Charitable Trusts' Peter Baker appearing in the Providence Journal ("Inviting the cod to follow the scallop," 5/16/2013), praises the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act while criticizing management practices allowed by that very law. Mr. Baker misleads readers on the ecological status of New England's fisheries, fails to give credit to collaborations between industry members and scientists, and ignores crucial parts of the law mandating consideration for the economic well being of fishing communities.
Mr. Baker attributes the success of the scallop fishery to strict management under the Magnuson Stevens Act, which he claims ended the use of "unsustainable practices." He argues that the same model would work for the cod fishery. But collaborations between industry members and independent scientists are responsible for today's successful and sustainable scallop management. The cooperative efforts that worked for scallops are not the same directives that Mr. Baker is suggesting will work for cod.
Modeling the Success of the Scallop Fishery
While overstating the contribution of strict management to the recovery of scallop populations, Mr. Baker understates the contribution of quality science and participation from industry members working with both government and independent researchers.
In the late 1990s, NOAA surveys continued to find that scallop populations were depleted, despite observations from fishermen to the contrary. Facing severe cuts, members of the scallop industry formed the Fisheries Survival Fund (FSF) and enlisted the help of Dr. Brian Rothschild, dean emeritus of the University of Massachusetts School for Marine Science and Technology (SMAST) to survey scallop abundance in the closed areas. FSF provided similar support to the Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences for research in the mid-Atlantic and New England. Mr. Baker's previous employer, the Cape Cod Commercial Hook Fishermen's Association, went to court to prevent SMAST's initial surveys, but their claim was denied.
The evidence from these and subsequent industry-funded surveys became instrumental in convincing managers to allow controlled access in the closures. SMAST's video technology, which surveyed areas of the closures when scientists were denied access for dredge surveys, was exceptionally valuable in determining abundance, bolstering the industry's confidence in surveys, and contributed to the development of long-term scallop access areas within the closures.
Scientists and scallopers worked with managers to promote a formal "rotational management" system for harvesting the rebounded population. This method directs vessels away from juvenile scallops and allows for controlled harvests in areas with high adult abundance. Formally established in 2003, following a series of industry-initiated access programs, rotational management remains the foundation of this fishery's remarkable success. Dr. Deborah Hart, head of sea scallop research at NOAA's Northeast Fisheries Science Center, wrote in 2005 that rotational closures "are much more likely to improve scallop yield than permanent closed areas."
Mr. Baker misstates this record. He claims, for instance, that "regulators began an intense effort to end the use of harmful fishing gear" in the early 1990s. But the basic New England scallop trawl design has remained the same. The only gear modifications relevant to scallop rebuilding have been increased ring and mesh sizes, to reduce bycatch of juvenile scallops and finfish, and devices developed by FSF and the Coonamessett Farm Foundation (CFF) to protect sea turtles.
Mr. Baker also fails to mention that some environmental groups, including Oceana and the Conservation Law Foundation , filed numerous lawsuits and went to court to prevent the access programs, which have been instrumental in reducing bycatch and the scallop fishery's impact on essential habitat.
Cooperation between fishermen, managers, and independent scientists played an incomparable role in restoring the scallop fishery. The industry has continued to work with VIMS, SMAST, and CFF to develop gear improvements and conduct scientific research to address critical issues such as bycatch reduction, protected species interactions, and habitat protections. Stricter management supported by industry and non-federal scientists has helped ensure that the scallop resource is healthy and that the industry is able to harvest its full allowable catch limits.
The Ecological State of New England
Mr. Baker incorrectly claims that "cod stocks are at the lowest levels ever recorded." According to NOAA's most recent Northeast stock assessment, released in January 2013, Gulf of Maine cod biomass was lowest in the late 1990s while Georges Bank cod biomass is currently over 3,000 tons higher than the lowest level recorded in 2006. This is not to say that cod stocks are in excellent shape. Cod populations are well below target rebuilding levels, and recent surveys indicate biomass and recruitment for the species remains low.
But the situation with groundfish is not as dire as Mr. Baker describes. According to Dr. Steve Cadrin, professor at SMAST, president of the American Institute of Fishery Research Biologists, and member of the New England Fishery Management Council's Scientific and Statistical Committee, "Characterizing the New England groundfish situation as an environmental crisis is misleading and inaccurate. Most groundfish stocks are increasing and are at moderate stock sizes relative to historical estimates." A 2012 analysis of NOAA's rebuilding plans shows that 69 percent of New England's recovering stocks are not subject to overfishing, and biomass is increasing in 50 percent of Northeast stocks.
Stephanie Rafael-DeMello, manager of fishing sector 9 in New Bedford, Mass., explains that while earlier this year fishermen were struggling to catch even a third of their cod quota, things have changed. "We are coming across the cod. We can see it in the landings for May. There is significantly more."
But for many fishermen, this year's allocations are too low to target cod, and instead those fishermen are tying up their vessels. Vito Giacalone, a third-generation Gloucester fishermen and policy director of the Northeast Seafood Coalition, notes the industry is down to only one-third of its previous size, with many fishermen finding themselves unable to make a living. Mr. Giacalone said "fishermen praise the intent of the Magnuson-Stevens Act [to promote fishing in line with conservationist principles] but we don't have enough scientific precision or knowledge to manage accordingly." He also emphasized that fishing needs to be part of the solution: "The Act's responsibility is to maintain enough resources for a harvest strategy."
Moving Forward With New England Management
Mr. Giacalone is not alone in expressing concerns about shaky science contributing to the industry's woes, an area completely ignored by Mr. Baker.
Dr. Rothschild says that New England fisheries "need to have an end-to-end review." He continues, "We need to look at the data we collect, the methods used, the algorithms…a total review and revamping." According to Dr. Rothschild, the variability and uncertainty demonstrated in current cod assessments is "unacceptable."
Efforts are already in place to improve current survey and assessment science. With industry support, Dr. Kevin Stokesbury, professor and chair of the Department of Fisheries Oceanography at SMAST, tested a new video survey method, which he recently presented to members of Congress. The survey uses a modified net that, instead of catching fish, allows the species to pass through unharmed while a video camera records them. This limits fish mortality and allows for larger sampling sizes.
Joint efforts between industry and independent science are vital to moving the fishery forward. "To have sustainable fisheries," says Mr. Giacolone, "you have to include the people."
In a letter to the editor of the New Bedford Standard-Times, Dr. Bill Karp, the Science and Research Director of NOAA's Northeast Fisheries Science Center, stated his support for this research, and reiterated NOAA's commitment to joint research efforts with SMAST and industry partners. "It is only through investment in these partnerships and building new collaborations that we can hope to be successful," he wrote.
Laws alone, without cooperation, communication and respect between regulators and the regulated community, do not achieve results. At NOAA's Fishermen's Northeast Groundfish Science Forum last year, Dr. Karp stressed the importance of a close working relationship between scientists and fishermen. Dr. Karp attested to the value of this bond, saying "fishermen are scientists, much as we at the Science Center are scientists," Dr. Karp continued that "the challenge is to bring these perspectives [between scientists and fishermen] together, to listen to each other, and to develop a more complete understanding of what's going on out there through proper collaboration."
Bibliography:
Cape Cod Commercial Hook Fishermen's Association v. Daley, Civil Action No. 96-11247-RGS, United States District Court, D. Massachusetts. December 14, 1998.
Conservation Law Foundation v. Mallett, Civil Action No. 00-1718 (GK), United States District Court, District of Columbia, August 11, 2000.
Conservation Law Foudation & Oceana v. Evans, Civil Action No. 02-2664, United States Court of Appeals, First Circuit, February 26, 2004.
Hart, Deborah; NOAA Fisheries, Letter to the Editor of Marine Protected Area News, June 10, 2005.
Karp, Bill; NOAA Fisheries, Letter to the Editor of the New Bedford Standard-Times, May 6, 2013.
NOAA Fisheries, Fish Stocks in Rebuilding Plans: A Trend Analysis, December 2012.
NOAA Northeast Fisheries Science Center, 55th Northeast Regional Summary Assessment Workshop Report, January 2013.