February 26, 2014 — A proposed closure of a swath of Stellwagen Bank is leaving local charter boat owners and fishermen concerned about loss of revenue.
The New England Fisheries Management Council is set to meet on February 25 and 26 in Danvers to discuss and vote on, among other items, potentially closing a 55 square-nautical-mile area of Stellwagen Bank in the eastern Massachusetts Bay as a reference area for research.
The closure would allow for the establishment of a Dedicated Habitat Research Area (DHRA) to look at how different types of fishing gear potentially impact habitats and how the habitats recover, said Craig MacDonald, the superintendent of the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary.
There are two proposed 55 square-nautical-mile reference areas in the DHRA, and the fisheries management council will either pick one of the reference areas to close to fishing, or choose to take no action.
Currently, the proposed reference areas are used extensively in the spring for cod and haddock fishing by members of the Stellwagen Bank Charter Boat Association, based in Marshfield, said SBCBA President Charlie Wade.
“The impact we fear, obviously, is loss of revenue because this is a prime springtime spot for us to fish,” Wade said. “And, ultimately, loss of jobs, if we can’t run our businesses profitably. The more ocean you take away from us to fish, the harder and harder it is for us to make a living.”
The proposed closure seeks to eliminate all hook and line fishing and ground fishing, which is a general term for species that live on the bottom of the ocean, including cod, haddock and flounder.
It would mean no fishing by either charter boats or private anglers, Wade said.
The closure could have a ripple effect on the local economy, according to Wade.
“The community at large should be concerned too because our out-of-state anglers spend a lot of money in hotels, restaurants, grocery stores, gas stations,” Wade said. “All of that revenue could disappear as well.”
Read the full story at the Marshfield Mariner