Management & Regulation

The bitterly disputed low pollock allocation — identified by many as certain to strangle the groundfishery and cited by fishermen and their advocates as an example of the harm done by faulty government science — could be reversed soon, a regulatory committee advised Wednesday.

A well-connected fishing group on Cape Cod and the Pew Environment Group both issued press releases saying the decision had been made.

But the government released a statement noting that the advice was "preliminary."

The Groundfish Committee of the New England Fishery Management Council gave an informal "heads-up" that a new assessment of the pollock stock seemed to confirm industry claims of the fish's prevalence in the mix of groundfish in the waters of the northwestern Atlantic.

Read the complete story at The Gloucester Daily Times.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A panel of Virginia legislators, environmentalists and watermen will study fishing pressures on menhaden, a small fish in big demand for use in health supplements and a critical food source for other Chesapeake Bay fish.

The creation of the 26-member panel follows a report earlier this year by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. It recommends limits on the menhaden fishery because of relatively low spawning stock.

The oily, bony fish are key in the bay's food chain, supporting striped bass, bluefish and other species. They are also processed into omega-3 fish oils sold as heart-healthy food supplements.

Sen. Ralph Northam, a Norfolk Democrat, said Wednesday the menhaden is key to the bay's overall health.

Read the complete story at The Washington Post.

 

 

 

 

 

Groundfish committee meeting documents for June meeting.

Groundfish Committee Document 1.

Groundfish Committee Document 2.

Groundfish Committee Document 3.

Groundfish Committee Document 4.

Groundfish Committee Document 5. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration tonight hosts the second in a series of meetings with fishermen, ostensibly to answer questions regarding the new catch share regulatory system and other absurd aspects of the new Amendment 16 mandates that took effect six weeks ago.

And, if last week's New Bedford session is any indication, the meeting tonight from 5 to 8 at Gloucester's NOAA headquarters is one that fishermen should, by all means, attend.

It is, after all, a chance to tell NOAA underlings face-to-face the myriad problems with the new system — including the ridiculous requirement to report any and all landings, including bycatch and even including fish that have been partially eaten by a sea predator and thus could contaminate an entire catch if kept aboard (See news story, Page 1). And it's a chance to let them know just how ludicrous the system of on-board monitors can be if those monitors aren't properly trained — or, in at least one case, are so unseaworthy they spend their entire time aboard seasick, hanging over the side.

Read the full editorial in the Gloucester Times

 

 

The following, and many other problems with Amendment 16, the new system of regulating groundfish, popped up in meetings in New Bedford and Gloucester last week Only about one third of the New Bedford boats have been working, according to industry and government estimates made last week. And those that are working are grappling with a variety of issues, including: Computer software that does not work correctly in allowing instantaneous reporting of boats' comings and goings as required. Mandates requiring that fish coming up half eaten by predators and thus spoiled must be kept in the hold with the good — thus jeopardizing the whole catch. Statistical rules that allow gaming the system of on-board observers — and observers who do not appear to be either knowledgeable or trained. In Gloucester on Friday, Mayor Carolyn Kirk led a 90-minute meeting to exchange reports on the first six weeks of Amendment 16. Vito Giacalone, policy director of the Northeast Seafood Coalition, told the Gloucester gathering that the satellite communications technology at the core of the system is overburdened and is reliable only 25 percent of the time. Tina Jackson, a commercial fisherman and president of the American Alliance of Fishermen and their Communities, objected to the claim made in an interview by Eric Schwaab, who heads the NOAA Fisheries office, that fishermen can't catch enough to satisfy the American demand for fish. She scoffed and told the bureaucrats, who work under Schwaab, that the problem was the allocation not the capacity of the fleet. We're striving to improve," said Dan Morris, an assistant to NOAA fisheries regional director Patricia Kurkul — who was not present in New Bedford and is not expected for tonight's Gloucester session in the Blackburn Industrial Park building that houses her own office.   Read the full Gloucester Times story      

New England lobster fishermen are saying a drastic new plan being floated to save depleted lobster stock in the region will spell a death sentence for their businesses.

One of the options under consideration is a five-year ban on lobstering in the waters south of Cape Cod. The aim is to help the local lobster population bounce back, but many fishermen say it means the end of their livelihood.

"I've spent most of my life on the ocean. It's just where I'm at home," said Jarrett Drake, a second-generation fisherman who has been catching lobsters out of New Bedford since he was 13.

Watch the video at WCVB TV 5 Boston.

Representatives from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration came to New Bedford on Thursday for the first in a series of regional meetings intended to gather feedback from commercial fishermen grappling with complex new management regulations.

The fishermen largely stayed away.

Seafood consultant Jim Kendall said he was not surprised so few fishermen attended.

"They're frustrated; they've had enough," he said. "They say it doesn't make any difference if they come or not."

Only 32 percent of New Bedford boats in the groundfish fleet are now fishing, Kendall said.

The fishermen who did attend gave fisheries managers plenty to think about.

Frank Mirarchi, who runs a 55-foot dragger out of Scituate, expressed fear that once federal monies subsidizing the costs associated with managing sectors are withdrawn, the burden on fishermen would become unsustainable.

"These are large subsidies and there's no guarantee they will be renewed. In my sector, we're already paying a fee of 8 cents per pound on the fish we land as our share. There's not enough coming out of the hatch to support the overhead associated with sectors if the subsidy goes."

Read the complete story at The South Coast Today [subscription site]

NOTE: The Standard-Times is a subscription site.  Unregistered visitors are able to read three stories per month, and registered visitors may view ten.  For unlimited access, please follow the subscription instructions on the site. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lobster populations in a large swath of the Atlantic Ocean have declined so much that biologists are recommending a five-year ban on catching lobsters south of Cape Cod down to Virginia to allow the stock to bounce back.

The proposal is the most drastic of several options that will be considered in July by a multi-state commission that regulates fishing of coastal species in the Atlantic, and it is drawing strong objections from lobstermen.

Bill Adler, executive director of the Massachusetts Lobstermen’s Association, said he opposes the proposal because it would put hundreds of fishermen out of business. Waters farther north, where most of New England's lobsters are trapped, are unaffected, because the populations there remain healthy.

Lobstermen and some scientists believe warming waters, possibly due to climate change, have allowed disease and infections to overtake lobster populations off southern New England, killing many and pushing others farther offshore into deeper, cooler waters.

Read the complete story at The Boston Globe.

 

 

 

 

 

BOSTON—Lobstermen in southern New England are facing a possible five-year fishing ban after biologists made that recommendation to regulators, saying the drastic step is needed to save the depleted stock.

The Lobster Technical Committee of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission acknowledged "the catastrophic effects" on local lobstermen if the moratorium was enacted. But it said it was needed to rebuild the lobster population and secure the industry's long-term health.

Rhode Island lobsterman Bill McElroy said there will be no industry in southern New England if the recommendation is adopted.

Read the complete story at The Boston Globe.

 

 

 

 

 

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) recently launched a programme that will entitle the nation’s USD 4 billion fishing industry with far-reaching privileges through the allocation of “catch shares” to private fishing businesses and individuals, warns a green group.

Ecotrust believes these programmes favour the fishing practices that caused overfishing to begin with and, additionally, threaten the income of fishing communities.

According to the environmental group, oceans are about to become one of the largest government handouts of a public resource to private interests.  Although historically the exclusive use of valuable public resources — like grasslands, forests, oil and mineral deposits and airwaves— produces substantial public revenues from the auctioning and leasing of these privileges, the fishing industry is not anticipated to pay for its new entitlement, Ecotrust argues.

Read the complete story at FIS Worldnews.