COMMERCE
Subscriber Services
Classified Ads
Subscribe
Advertise
NEWS
This Month
Editorial
Letters
F/V Safety
Past Issues
ABOUT US
Contact Us
Latest Issue
Subscribe
History
MORE CONTENT
CFN Archives
Links
Each month exclusively in the PRINT edition of CFN
Along the Coast
Ask the Lobster Doc
Bearin’s
Classifieds
Coming Events
Editorial
Enforcement Report
FISH SAFE
Fleet Additions
Letters
Lobster Market Report
New Boats
News Catch
Quahog Market Report
|
Commercial Fisheries News
Volume 35 Number 3
November 2008
ASMFC lobster board seeks Area 1 trap fishery control date
REHOBOTH BEACH, DE – Following up on concerns expressed by the Area 1 Lobster Conservation and Management Team (LCMT) about potential trap increases in the federal waters portion of Area 1, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s (ASMFC) American Lobster Management Board voted on Oct. 21 to initiate an addendum to the interstate lobster plan.
The purpose of the addendum is to “develop options for a limited-entry program for Lobster Conservation and Management Area (LCMA) 1.”
The board also voted to ask the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to publish a control date “that may be used to affect future participation in the Area 1 trap fishery in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ).”
Both actions are intended primarily to address federal waters in Area 1, which covers the Gulf of Maine and is the only LCMA in the Northeast region without a formal area-wide limited-entry program.
Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts already largely control their state waters fisheries. In Maine, the state is guided by lobster zone councils made up of industry members.
During meetings last March and June, Area 1 LCMT members expressed a growing unease over what might happen if fishermen with federal lobster permits who are not currently fishing with traps decided to convert their gear and set traps in Area 1.
According to Terry Stockwell of the Maine Department of Marine Resources, the LCMT opted to address the issue head-on by developing a problem statement, as well as a purpose and goal for seeking action.
The problem, according to the LCMT, is “unrestricted access” to the federal waters of Area 1.
The purpose and goal is to “curtail the influx of new trap permits and effort” into Area 1 federal waters while still:
Allowing for the possibility of permit transfers within Area 1;
Maintaining cultural and historic participation; and
Maintaining conservation.
Control date
The control date will be the same day a notice is published in the Federal Register by NMFS. So, for example, if NMFS publishes the notice on Nov. 30, 2008, then Nov. 30, 2008 will become the control date.
NMFS’s Harry Mears said he could not predict how long it would take to publish the control date, but it could be at least a month or two.
However, he said, “We certainly will move forward as soon as we can with a public notice.”
As for the addendum itself, LCMT 1 agreed it wanted to begin working with ASMFC to draft options to:
Restrict “movement of area designation” under NMFS permits, which, for example, could prevent Area 2 fishermen from switching to Area 1; and
Restrict nontrap permits from becoming trap permits.
Maine Commissioner George Lapointe said he wanted to assure lobstermen that ASMFC would seek ample public comment and work slowly to fully investigate all options and points of view.
“I want to be clear that this will be done with a lot of deliberation,” said Lapointe. “We’re not going to develop a limited-entry program in a couple of months.”
Massachusetts Commissioner Bill Adler said he felt strongly the board should take steps to address the LCMT’s concerns.
“The LCMT said it possibly wanted to close the door and stop increased trap effort in Area 1,” he said. “This at least tells the LCMT that we’re listening to them. The control date can be eliminated in the future if we decide we don’t want this.”
Janice M. Plante
Back to story list
|
|
Tell us what you think.
