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Commercial Fisheries News
Volume 36 Number 2
October 2008
GARM highlights groundfish gains, losses
PROVIDENCE, RI – Commercial fishermen have made great strides in rebuilding biomass and reducing fishing mortality on several important groundfish stocks. However, a number of other stocks are still short of their biomass and fishing mortality targets.
The New England Fishery Management Council heard this mixed report during a special two-day meeting held Sept. 3-4 in Providence, where Paul Rago of the National Marine Fisheries Service’s (NMFS) Northeast Fisheries Science Center presented the findings of the third and latest Groundfish Assessment Review Meeting (GARM), which wrapped up at the end of August.
In the extremely good news category, the GARM determined the following:
Gulf of Maine cod – a linchpin stock for inshore fishermen – has “improved in status and is no longer overfished, though overfishing is still occurring;”
Redfish, American plaice, Georges Bank haddock, and Gulf of Maine haddock “are not overfished and are not experiencing overfishing;” and
Georges Bank haddock, in fact, is now “rebuilt,” and Gulf of Maine haddock is “projected to be rebuilt in 2009.”
GARM III produced new “benchmark” assessments for 19 Northeast groundfish stocks through 2007 and compared those results with the status of stocks in 2004.
Nearly two dozen scientists from around the world participated as external reviewers of the GARM, while over 70 different scientists contributed working papers for review.
Mortality, biomass
Overall, said Rago, the GARM found that six stocks were being fished below their fishing mortality thresholds while 13 were being fished above – meaning fishing pressure was still too high on 13 stocks.
He also said that six stocks were above their biomass thresholds, while 13 were below, meaning stock size was still too low for 13 stocks (see figures next page for fishing mortality and biomass status for all 19 stocks).
Referring to the number of stocks still significantly below their targets, Rago said, “Those numbers at face value are disappointing, but there are some changes that show great improvement. It is important to recognize that Georges Bank cod, Georges Bank haddock, and Georges Bank yellowtail have all experienced reductions in fishing mortality over the past few years.”
Furthermore, three strong year classes were helping to fuel stock rebuilding – the 2005 year class for Georges Bank yellowtail, the 2003 year class for Georges Bank haddock, and the 2005 year class for Gulf of Maine cod, said Rago.
Reference points
Also important to note is that GARM scientists developed new biological reference points for each stock, which the council’s groundfish plan development team will use in Amendment 16.
Most of the biomass reference points developed during GARM III are lower than those developed in 2004 for GARM II, while most of the fishing mortality reference points are higher.
In short, this means biomass might not need to be as high as previously required before a stock can be considered rebuilt.
Ocean productivity
The differences between 2004 and 2007 reference points came about because scientists accounted for changes in ocean productivity. In many cases, these changes have led to smaller size fish at given ages and slower growth rates.
The exact cause of this phenomenon is unknown, but reduced zooplankton blooms, a staple source of food for many species low on the food chain, could be one factor, along with changes in water temperature.
With Georges Bank haddock, reductions in average fish size “appear to have both a density dependent effect – with growth rates similar to that observed for the 1963 year class – and an environmental effect seen for other GARM stocks,” noted Rago.
GARM scientists, however, were not prepared to say that changes in stock productivity were entirely due to ecological factors rather than fishery effects (see CFN July 2008 page 1A and September 2008 page 1B for more on ocean productivity).
Still not enough
Maine council member Jim Odlin found the improvements in the status of many stocks to be heartening.
“I think we’ve done a lot here,” he said. “We’ve brought mortality down dramatically.”
Yet the boost in spirits was short-lived as it quickly became clear the council, by law under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, still would be forced to take additional and very severe steps to address the poor condition of several stocks – particularly flatfish.
Eleven stocks were determined by the GARM to be “both overfished and experiencing overfishing.” Furthermore, “pollock, witch flounder, Georges Bank winter flounder, Gulf of Maine winter flounder, and northern windowpane have deteriorated in status.”
Possibly most troubling, however, was the GARM’s conclusion that “moderate to large relative increases in fishing mortality” occurred for witch flounder, Gulf of Maine and Southern New England/Mid-Atlantic winter flounder, redfish, pollock, northern and southern windowpane, and ocean pout.
These fishing mortality increases will end up dictating the magnitude of the effort reduction measures in Amendment 16 to the groundfish plan.
Hanging on
A standing-room-only crowd gathered at the Providence Biltmore to hear the GARM results, and following the presentation, a palpable sense of futility hung heavy over dozens of grim-faced fishermen who have long worried about Amendment 16.
Amendment 16 is the massive groundfish management revision that will lead many fishermen away from the current days-at-sea system to sector management.
However, the amendment is still under development and now may not be implemented until 2010. In the meantime, NMFS intends to take interim action to implement additional effort reduction measures in 2009 (see story page 12A).
Fishermen say they have two big fears: whether they can hang on until 2010; and, if they do hang on, whether Amendment 16’s effort reduction measures will be too much to bear even for those in sectors.
New Bedford Mayor Scott Lang spoke first from the audience.
“Our groundfish industry in New Bedford is hanging on by a thread because of fishing restrictions, increasing fuel prices, and uncertainty about the future,” he said. “Any more ratcheting down and you won’t have a fishing industry.”
Lang urged the council to carefully review the GARM results and thoroughly assess the impacts of its proposed stock rebuilding measures.
“Let’s be prudent,” he said. “We need to have tremendous confidence in the numbers and the analyses that come forward. We’re not quite sure how these actions impact the fish, but I can tell you how they impact the people.”
Lang further said, “We’re the number one port in the nation. Gloucester is number 10. You can’t mothball the fishing industry. If we put it into a situation where it isn’t economically viable, then we have failed. We’re going to have people out of work and dramatic consequences.”
Sending a message
Jackie Odell of the Northeast Seafood Coalition expressed deep frustration over the brusque way stock status was being presented – overfished, not overfished, overfishing occurring, overfishing not occurring.
She said, “The message that’s sent to the public through these scorecards is: ‘The fishing industry is catching too much fish and the managers aren’t doing their job.’”
Odell emphasized that significant gains made by fishermen were being lost.
“There’s some good news here that needs to get out,” she said.
At press time, work on Amendment 16 had slowed and the council cancelled a late-September groundfish committee meeting. Many NMFS scientists who had been working with the council on Amendment 16 had been shifted over to developing a NMFS interim action for May 1, 2009.
Janice M. Plante
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