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Loligo fishery impacts prompt GSSA to ask for butterfish Amendment 10 delay
PHILADELPHIA, PA – The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council selected alternatives for Amendment 10 to the Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish Fishery Management Plan during its Aug. 11 meeting that involve serious restrictions on the Loligo and Illex squid fisheries, even though the purpose of the amendment is to rebuild the butterfish stock.
The alternatives proposed in the amendment are:
• A possible cap on butterfish mortality in the Loligo fishery;
• An increase in the Loligo minimum codend mesh size;
• Elimination of the exemptions for Illex vessels from Loligo minimum codend mesh requirements; and
• Creation of seasonal gear restricted areas (GRAs) for butterfish.
Of these, the council voted to support as preferred using a 2-1/8" mesh with an 8" or greater fishing circle during trimesters 1 and 3 in conjunction with a bycatch cap program for butterfish in the Loligo fishery that has yet to be developed. The council took no action on the Illex exemption or GRA alternatives.
GSSA concerns
Shortly after the meeting, the Garden State Seafood Association (GSSA) provided written comments requesting the council to delay further action on Amendment 10 until industry concerns could be addressed.
“All New Jersey fishermen have relied heavily on the Loligo squid fishery in the past and continue to participate in this fishery all year long inshore and offshore,” wrote GSSA Executive Director Greg DiDomenico. “This amendment and the measures contained in it will have a serious negative impact on future participation and viability of our fleets.”
GSSA said the amendment: is based on an outdated stock assessment of the butterfish resource; proposes gear changes that would not achieve bycatch reduction; would require codend modifications that would impose serious inefficiencies on the fleet; relies on flawed observer information; proposes GRAs that are “known to be ineffective in achieving management goals;” and will cost the directed Loligo fishery millions of dollars.
For more information on Amendment 10, call the Mid-Atlantic council toll free at (877) 446-2362. For more info on GSSA’s concerns, call DiDomenico at (609) 898-1100 or e-mail him at <gregdi@voicenet.com>. /cfn/
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