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Commercial Fisheries News
Volume 37 Number 7
March 2010
‘Traffic light’ may illuminate lobster status
ALEXANDRIA, VA – Every lobsterman wants to know the true status of the lobster stock and whether or not the resource is on the upswing or downswing.
But let’s be honest. Who really understands what it means to have an “effective exploitation threshold” of .49 for the Gulf of Maine stock or a “reference abundance threshold” of 25.4 million lobsters for Southern New England? ...continued
Maryland’s Eric Schwaab chosen to head NMFS
WASHINGTON, DC – After almost a year of waiting and widespread speculation, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Chief Jane Lubchenco announced on Feb. 10 that Eric Schwaab had been selected to become the new head of the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). ...continued
ASMFC sets 2010-2012 Atlantic herring specs
ALEXANDRIA, VA – The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s (ASMFC) Atlantic Herring Section took steps during its Feb. 1 meeting here to stay in synch with new terminology and fishing quotas recently adopted by the New England Fishery Management Council. ...continued
Tight Area 1A herring quota may impact ASMFC small-mesh bottom trawl decisions
ALEXANDRIA, VA – Concerned that small-mesh bottom trawl (SMBT) vessels have been “disproportionately” disadvantaged by the herring days-out program in Area 1A, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s (ASMFC) Atlantic Herring Section voted on Feb. 1 to ask for public comments on potential alternatives to address the situation. ...continued
Council herring Amd. 4 sets stage for future specs
PORTSMOUTH, NH – It happened with groundfish. It happened with scallops. It happened with monkfish and red crab. And now it has happened with herring. The fishery has a whole new vocabulary. ...continued
Lobster TC to look at SNE, GOM 514 rebuilding options
ALEXANDRIA, VA – After debating its plan of action for pursuing an innovative traffic light approach to more easily judge stock status, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s (ASMFC) American Lobster Management Board took another significant action during its Feb. 1 meeting. ...continued
NE council adopts higher scallop target of .24
PORTSMOUTH, NH – On Jan. 27, the New England Fishery Management Council sat before a packed audience of industry members and elected officials to reconsider its November decision on Framework Adjustment 21 to the federal scallop plan. It was a time like no other in the council’s history, according to many who cast the deciding votes. ...continued
General category IFQ program begins operation March 1
PORTSMOUTH, NH – The general category individual fishing quota (IFQ) program implemented through Amendment 11 to the federal scallop plan will get underway beginning March 1, the start of the 2010 scallop fishing year. ...continued
Affidavit required for midwater herring boats releasing fish in CA I
GLOUCESTER, MA – Effective March 5, herring midwater trawlers fishing in Closed Area I will need to submit an affidavit to the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) within 48 hours of the end of a trip if they release unpumped fish before having an observer sample the contents of the net. ...continued
ME processors back value-added lobster bill
AUGUSTA, ME – New efforts to create a sustainable Maine lobster industry could have processors peddling parts.
Currently, Maine processors can only legally market whole lobsters and tails. But LD 1593, “An Act to Amend Lobster Meat Laws and Expand Economic Opportunity for Maine’s Lobster Industry,” which has been filed as “emergency” legislation, proposes giving processors the opportunity to market in-shell claw knuckles and split tails as well. ...continued
Economist updates LAC on maximizing profits
HALLOWELL, ME – Dan Holland, research economist at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute, posed several complex questions during the Jan. 20 meeting of the Maine Department of Marine Resource (DMR) Lobster Advisory Council, including this one:
“Would the lobster fishery generate more profits if it was managed differently?” ...continued
Calls grow for new herring assessment; trade-offs weighed
PORTSMOUTH, NH – With sharply reduced herring quotas on the horizon for the next three fishing years – on top of already significant quota cuts – many fishermen and managers are intensifying their calls for a new stock assessment as soon as possible. ...continued
ME Stinson plant closes; herring TAC blamed
PROSPECT HARBOR, ME – Worst fears about the possible consequences of recent dramatic cuts in Gulf of Maine herring quotas were realized on Feb. 17 when Bumble Bee Foods announced it would cease operations at the Stinson Seafood plant here on April 18. ...continued
Fish Safe
ME study looks at safety equipment, training
How safety conscious are Maine fishermen as a group? How many have the safety equipment appropriate for cold-water fishing? How many have had safety training within the last five years? ...continued
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