NOAA FIsheries Service in Gloucester gave Saving Seafood a statement clarifying press releases issued earlier today by Pew Environment and the Cape Cod Commercial Hook Fishermen's Association.
"During the New England Groundfish Committee meeting today, NOAA Fisheries Service staff were asked about the preliminary results of the pollock stock assessment. In the course of those discussions, NOAA staff shared that based on these early estimates, we hope to be able to increase the pollock annual catch limit to 16 thousand mt. However, this information is preliminary until the final stock assessment report is complete."
Pollock assessment results are "preliminary", "early". NOAA "hopes" to be able to increase when report is complete
WASHINGTON – June 16 – NOAA FIsheries Service in Gloucester gave Saving Seafood the following statement clarifying press releases issued earlier today by Pew Environment and the Cape Cod Commercial Hook Fishermen's Association:
"During the New England Groundfish Committee meeting today, NOAA Fisheries Service staff were asked about the preliminary results of the pollock stock assessment. In the course of those discussions, NOAA staff shared that based on these early estimates, we hope to be able to increase the pollock annual catch limit to 16 thousand mt. However, this information is preliminary until the final stock assessment report is complete."
Statements issued by Pew Environment referring to the "National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) announcement that it would be raising the Annual Catch Limit for pollock by over 350%" and by Cape Cod Hook referring to "The new catch limit, which was announced by the National Marine Fisheries Service" led some recipients to believe that a final assessment had been issued. That is not that case.
In addition, several Members of Congress have noted that in addition to the letter by Congressman Delahunt and the New England delegation referenced in the Cape Cod Hook release, the matter was also raised during a meeting held in the U.S. Capitol on May 12. Secretary Locke agreed to revisit the pollock limit during that Capitol Hill meeting attended by Senator Snowe, Senator Gillibrand, Senator Kerry, Senator Scott Brown, Senator Schumer, Senator Shaheen, Senator Reed, Senator Whitehouse, Congressman Barney Frank, Congressman Joe Courtney, Congressman Tim Bishop, Congresswoman Shea-Porter, Congressman John Tierney, and Congressman Langevin.
Pew Statement on Increase in Annual Catch Limits for Pollock
BOSTON (June 16, 2010) — Peter Baker, who manages the Pew Environment Group's New England Fisheries Campaigns, today issued the following statement in response to the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) announcement that it would be raising the Annual Catch Limit for pollock by over 350%.
"National Marine Fisheries Service has taken a positive step in using the best available science to quickly adjust the pollock annual catch limit. This action will allow the new sector system a better chance of succeeding by safely increasing the pollock catch limits, which will help provide the fleet more time to catch designated limits of other groundfish stocks. Effective sector management in New England is crucial to rebuilding severely depleted fish stocks and restoring the resources that support traditional fishing communities."
Background:
As required by law, NMFS is basing the increase on the best available science recently made available through an updated stock assessment. This latest peer reviewed assessment was conducted by a team of scientists at the New England Fisheries Science Center, including scientists from a number of independent institutions. It showed that pollock in U.S. waters in the North Atlantic is no longer overfished nor subject to overfishing.
By utilizing new data and improved stock assessments, this review produced reliable new scientific information. The resulting decision about pollock should increase support for the sector system and allow the fleet to continue fishing as the new system is implemented.
Cape Cod Commercial Hook Fishermen's Association Statement:
NATIONAL MARINE FISHERIES SERVICE ANNOUNCES CHANGES TO COMMERCIAL HARVESTING LEVELS FOR ATLANTIC POLLOCK
NORTH CHATHAM, MA: Commercial fishermen throughout New England will now be able to catch a total of just over 16,000 metric tons of pollock this fishing year – nearly five times the current allotment. The new catch limit, which was announced by the National Marine Fisheries Service today and is expected to go into effect in July, has been updated to reflect the most recent scientific data available and will provide additional opportunities for local fishermen this season.
Atlantic pollock have been a cause for concern for fishermen because these fish often swim with more abundant species like cod and haddock and are frequently caught with those fish. Low allowable catch levels for pollock would have severely limited the fleet's ability to target healthier fish populations.
Wholesale changes to fisheries management adopted in May made this issue one of critical importance. The new system is comprised of 17 voluntary harvesting cooperatives, or "sectors," which are allocated a certain amount of each of the 20 managed groundfish populations in New England. The sectors are responsible for managing their harvest to avoid exceeding any of their allocations and must stop fishing if the limit on any one of them is reached.
Hook staffers and Chatham fishermen traveled to Washington, D.C., in March to urge Congressmen to support changes in the management of pollock and skate. With the backing of Congressman Bill Delahunt and the New England delegation, a letter was sent to Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke to push for changes to the allocations.
"Our whole fleet depends on how we can manage our 'choke stocks' like pollock," said Jim Nash, a member of the Georges Bank Fixed Gear Sector, which is housed at the Hook Association. "The pollock assessment showed there was more pollock to be caught, and I'm glad NMFS realized that waiting a full year to change the rules wasn't an option. NMFS got this one right."