Peter Hughes argues that the New England Fishery Management Council should vote this week to accept scientifically-backed proposals for updating area closures off the coast of Massachusetts.
WASHINGTON (Saving Seafood) February 23, 2014 — Fisheries Survival Fund member Peter Hughes, the Director of Sustainability at Atlantic Capes Fisheries, Inc. in Cape May, N.J. argues that the New England Fishery Management Council should vote this week to accept scientifically-backed proposals for updating area closures off the coast of Massachusetts. These closed areas have been off-limits to fishermen for almost 20 years, and a recent survey of one of those areas, known as the "Northern Edge" found that the closure contains almost 20 million pounds of scallops, possibly as much as much as ten percent of Georges Bank's entire scallop population.
According to Mr. Hughes, this is a huge lost opportunity for the scallop industry industry, which has a reputation for sustainable management that is time-tested. He argues that the Northern Edge closure can be modified with limited affect on the area's habitat, noting that research from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth School for Marine Science and Technology (SMAST) compared the Northern Edge to recently fished areas on Georges Bank and found no significant differences in habitat between the two.
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Like Texas without barbeque, New England wouldn't be the same without its seafood.
To provide the region its local favorites today and for future generations, those of us in the fishing industry know the importance of responsible resource management.
Regulations need to dually support a thriving fishery and sustain a healthy ocean habitat. On Tuesday, regulators have the opportunity to do just that with proposed updates to outdated fishing restrictions.
The New England Fishery Management Council has before it several scientifically-backed proposals for updating area closures off the coast of Massachusetts. These closures have been off-limits to fishermen for almost 20 years, but updated science indicates they may not be best suited for balancing the needs of industry and conservation.
One area in particular, the Northern Edge of the Georges Bank closure, has been under diligent review by scientists, conservationists and industry members.
The Northern Edge is an historic scallop ground known among fishermen for housing some of the largest and densest concentrations of scallops in the region. But since the early 1990s, millions of pounds of scallops have been off-limits.
A recent survey of the Northern Edge found that this closure contains almost 20 million pounds of scallops. This area alone may be home to as much as ten percent of Georges Bank's entire scallop population. This is a huge lost opportunity for our industry, one whose reputation for sustainable management is time-tested.
For years regulators and environmental groups have looked to scallopers as a model for effective cooperative research and responsible practice. At the same time, our industry recognizes that certain protective measures may be important for the rebuilding of some groundfish stocks. The same features of the Northern Edge ecosystem that benefit scallop populations may also prove valuable to the life cycles of other species, particularly cod.
But multiple studies have indicated that the Northern Edge closure can be modified with limited affect on the area's habitat. Research from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth School for Marine Science and Technology – or SMAST – compared the Northern Edge to recently fished areas on Georges Bank and found no significant differences in habitat between the two.
With this in mind, our industry supports efforts by the NEFMC to responsibly open the closures to scallopers while balancing necessary environmental protections for vulnerable groundfish species.
This is a crucial opportunity for regulators to meet the needs of both the industry and the environment, while helping to ensure New England's vital fisheries are managed responsibly.
Read the opinion piece in the Gloucester Daily Times