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Commercial Fisheries News Volume 33 Number 3 November 2005 Massachusetts Bay winter cod closure all but certain GLOUCESTER, MA - There will almost surely be a cod closure in a productive portion of Massachusetts state waters from Dec. 1 to Jan. 15 because the future of Gulf of Maine cod may depend on it. That was the message the state’s Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) delivered to the Massachusetts Marine Fisheries Commission during its Oct. 6 meeting. The announcement came well in advance of late October public hearings, which included a proposal to establish a seasonal, no-fishing cod conservation zone between 42°27.6' and 42°20' latitude in Massachusetts Bay. However, DMF Director Paul Diodati said he was informing the commission of the situation since he would have to use emergency action to ensure that the closure would be in place by Dec. 1. Diodati also told the commission that he would likely move forward with the proposal despite anticipated objections from commercial and recreational fishermen who have been successfully fishing in the closure area for years. “I expect we’ll have extreme public pressure on this,” the DMF director said. “There are sizable amounts of income involved. I won’t be surprised if there’s political pressure. That’s why I’m going to move forward quickly and strongly with emergency actions.” Based on the 2005 Groundfish Assessment Review Meeting (GARM) and consultations with Canadian cod expert George Rose, Diodati and the DMF staff are now convinced the Gulf of Maine cod stock is in a “precarious” state. In a memo to the commission, Diodati reported that the biomass has dropped by about 25 percent over the last four years. At the same time, the fishing mortality rate has increased on two “exceptionally weak” year classes – 1999 and 2000 – despite strict federal measures. And, perhaps most ominous of all, Diodati said the distribution of cod has contracted to the point where the largest stock aggregations are found right off the coast of Massachusetts north of Cape Cod, a situation that mirrors what happened to Canada’s resource just before its northern cod stock collapsed. “The shrinking distribution and vulnerable aggregations we see in Gulf of Maine cod are reminiscent of what occurred on the Grand Banks off Newfoundland – a collapsed population that has yet to recover after a decade-long moratorium,” Diodati said in the memo. Added DMF Deputy Director David Pierce, “The goal of the action is to protect a vital remnant of the Gulf of Maine cod stock. State predicament Massachusetts needs to address the situation because, unlike federal waters where days-at-sea limit effort, the state waters fishery is pretty much wide open except for an 800-pound trip limit. “No days-at-sea program exists for state waters fishermen and there is no limited access affecting the number of fishermen who can join the state waters fishery,” Diodati explained. For more than a year now, DMF has been saying that a sizable number of Massachusetts fishermen take advantage of this situation. Typically a fisherman will move his federal permit to a placeholder boat – sometimes just a skiff – and then fish his primary boat in state waters under a state permit without the constraint of federal regulations. As a result, these boats have been landing significant amounts of cod without using any days-at-sea. And this effort is growing. According to DMF, cod landings from Massachusetts state waters over the last four years have gone from 300,000 pounds to 1.5 million pounds. “This is happening under a stringent federal plan to restore cod and other fish,” Diodati said. “Obviously, as federal restrictions get tougher, we can expect that number to climb. There’s no reason why it wouldn’t unless we take serious, quick action. The fish are there.” Significant landings As an indicator of how much fish is being taken specifically from Massachusetts Bay, Diodati listed these statistics. Commercial Gulf of Maine cod landings for 2004 totaled 8.4 million pounds. Of that, 60 percent – 4.9 million pounds – was landed in Massachusetts, and 20 percent of that amount – 980,000 pounds – was taken in Massachusetts Bay. Furthermore, Massachusetts gillnetters fishing in state waters reported catching around 900,000 pounds of cod – 80 percent to 90 percent of it without using a day-at-sea. More than half of that – 500,000 pounds – came from Massachusetts Bay. Besides the amount of fish being taken, sea sampling and other research, including work done by Canadian expert Rose, has shown the fish caught inshore during the winter to be large, effective spawners that are critical to stock recovery. “Clearly this is not what was intended under Amendment 13,” Diodati said. “It needs to be resolved.” Specifics Specifically, DMF is proposing to: • Establish a cod conservation zone from Dec. 1, 2005 to Jan. 15, 2006; • Allow no groundfish fishing by any sector or gear type within the zone; • Implement a rigorous study plan within the zone during the closure; and • Implement measures to reduce daily trip limits in state waters. Diodati acknowledged that cod congregate in other parts of state waters, but said the conservation zone site was carefully chosen based on where the fish have been concentrated in recent years. “I tried to keep the conservation area as strategic as I could,” he said. “If areas can be left open, then I want to leave them open. If necessary for law enforcement purposes, we can modify it and go to the beach.” He added that more action may be needed in the near future to protect other species. Among those identified by the GARM as being in “dire” condition were winter flounder and yellowtail. “These are targeted by the same gear types targeting cod in state waters,” the DMF director said. “I expect to be taking (additional) emergency actions over the next six months to a year.” Hopeful signs Even with the seriousness of the situation, the DMF staff managed to provide the commission with some signs of promise. DMF biologist Steve Correia reported that the 2003 year class of Gulf of Maine cod was strong – the best since 1989. “If you can keep the fishing mortality rate down, it should give a real boost to the 2006 fishery,” he said. DMF Deputy Director Dan McKiernan also observed that what remains of the cod spawning stock biomass is made up of a health mix of age classes, including larger fish, which are believed to be the most productive spawners. Diodati also pointed out that the situation for Gulf of Maine cod is very different than that of the collapsed Canadian stock. “The northern cod depend on capelin. There are more kinds of food available here,” he said. “I’m more optimistic with the Gulf of Maine than with the northern cod stock.” Back to story list |
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