March 4, 2014 — The proposed closure of a portion of Stellwagen Bank that could hurt business for local charter boat owners and fisherman is moving forward to public hearing.
The New England Fisheries Management Council reviewed options for establishing a Dedicated Habitat Research Area (DHRA) in Stellwagen Bank that would include closing one of two proposed 55 square-nautical-mile swaths as a reference area.
The council voted 13-2 – with one abstention – to send its preferred option for a research area, the northern of two proposed areas, to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
According to Craig MacDonald, the superintendent of the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, the DHRA would be used for research on how different types of fishing gear potentially impact habitats and how those habitats recover.
However, the closure would affect the livelihoods of local charter boat owners and fishermen, who fish the area for groundfish such as cod and haddock, said Charlie Wade, president of the Stellwagen Bank Charter Boat Association.
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