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Commercial Fisheries News
Volume 35 Number 3
November 2007
RI proposing clam, finfish, lobster license changes
NARRAGANSETT, RI – During the Oct. 1 meeting of the Rhode Island Marine Fisheries Council, council members identified a number of different state fisheries issues for discussion at an Oct. 24 public hearing.
Three commercial sectors will be addressed at the hearing – shellfish, finfish, and crustaceans.
In the shellfish category, the issues concern various exit/entry license regulation options on quahog endorsements. These options include: the creation of a 1:1 ratio for those leaving the industry to those granted new licenses; or retaining the current 3:1 standard but applying the standard only to those license holders with either principal effort licenses or to those with multipurpose licenses. As well, soft shell clam management efforts will be up for discussion, including the creation of a new endorsement for this category.
For the crustacean sector, the hearing will address a proposal for both a new trap and nontrap lobster gear endorsement. The proposal on the table also will bar the issuance of new nontrap lobster gear endorsements and repeal the 100-pot basic gear and harvest level.
Purse seining and midwater/pair trawling for menhaden is up for discussion as well. The proposed actions are to limit the expansion of the commercial menhaden fishery by establishing purse seine and midwater/pair trawling endorsements. The proposal includes attaching conditions to the endorsement, including observer coverage and daily landing reports.
The hearing was scheduled for Oct. 24 at 6 pm at the University of Rhode Island’s Corliss Auditorium at the Bay Campus.
The council also heard from Bob Ballou of the Department of Environmental Management (DEM) on comprehensive fisheries legislation changes for 2008.
Ballou said DEM has identified several possible items for legislative change, including steeper enforcement penalties and an observer requirement on commercial fishing vessels on request. DEM will be working in conjunction with the council through the end of the year on proposed legislative changes.
The council also talked about the federal closure of the scup fishery and decided to write a letter to the National Marine Fisheries Service regional administrator about the inconsistency between federal and state quotas.
Mason Beutel
RI joins MA, ME in asking for
groundfish disaster declaration
PROVIDENCE, RI – Earlier this summer, Rhode Island Gov. Donald Carcieri, in a letter to Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez, requested a declaration of “a fisheries disaster” in the Northeast region. He also asked for financial assistance to compensate the state’s commercial fishing industry for “economic losses as a result of federal regulations enacted since 1994.”
The governor referenced five major amendments to the federal Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan as reasons for his request.
Carcieri said the regulations imposed effort reduction programs, increased mesh sizes, closed areas, and reduced trip limits to reduce fishing mortality and replenish overfished stocks. He also said the combined consequences of the regulatory actions left fishermen with few options, dealers without fish, and dockside support infrastructure without business.
The letter summed up the cumulative social and economic impact federal regulations have had on the Rhode Island fishing industry, as well as the communities dependent on the industry.
The governor made the request under sections 312 and 315 of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act as amended last year. The letter did not, however, offer any guidelines or request a specific amount of financial aid.
Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick filed a similar disaster declaration request in February, and Maine Gov. John Baldacci requested aid in April. The Rhode Island declaration was made in early June, but the letter was not made public until Sept. 1.
Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) Director Michael Sullivan said, “We didn’t try to hide the letter. We just didn’t make an effort to advertise it because we didn’t know if funds were available and we didn’t want to get hopes up until we were certain of securing some relief.”
Sullivan went on to say that after he learned about Maine and Massachusetts filing, he encouraged Gov. Carcieri to follow suit. If funds were available, he said he saw no reason for Rhode Island to be left out of the loop.
Disbursement?
When asked about how the funds would be disbursed if they were secured, Sullivan said they would be distributed in a variety of ways.
“On a case-by-case basis, the funds would be used for everything from buying boats from those looking to get out of the business to helping fishermen launch new careers or change technology,” he said.
Sullivan also said that, when appropriate, funds would be used to give immediate relief to those who were most distressed.
Rich Fuka, president of the Rhode Island Fishermen’s Alliance (RIFA), said there was a big difference between Rhode Island’s plans for use of federal relief and those of other New England states.
Pointing to Sullivan’s remarks, he said it appeared that Rhode Island would use the funds to help fishermen get out of the business while other states would use assistance to sustain their fisheries through difficult times.
The RIFA is an advocacy group that is suing DEM for alleged unconstitutional regulatory practices.
Sam Bari
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