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Commercial Fisheries News
Volume 35 Number 3
November 2008
MA adjusts cod closure; dogfish upturn possible
GLOUCESTER, MA – At the recommendation of the state Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF), the Massachusetts Marine Fisheries Commission voted on Oct. 2 to liberalize restrictions in the Cod Conservation Zone (CCZ).
Piloted in 2003-2004 and fully implemented in 2005, the CCZ is intended to protect Gulf of Maine cod that cluster up in Massachusetts Bay during the early winter months. Located between 42°20'N and 42°30'N latitude from the shore to the state waters boundary, the zone, until now, has been closed all of December, January, and February.
After extensive monitoring, DMF verified that there is no need for the closure to stay in effect during the month of February since most of the large cod have moved out of the area by that time.
The fishermen allowed to speak at the meeting implored the commission and DMF to additionally lift the closure for the month of January.
Bill Porter of Marblehead pointed out that groundfish fishermen who rely on the area are now shut down for eight months a year due to rolling closures and other restrictions. And, in addition to the 200-square-mile CCZ area, he said they also are prohibited from fishing on an additional 40-square-miles of bottom due to a buffer zone running along a pipeline.
Finally, Porter said that the cod he and others are prohibited from harvesting are being caught as soon as they leave state waters by federally permitted vessels fishing just over the three-mile line.
Lou Williams of Gloucester also asked the state to reopen the CCZ for the month of January.
“Opening it in February gives you nothing,” he said. “I don’t think giving us January will hurt the resource. You won’t get a whole pile of boats fishing in there.”
When asked by commission members how the agency responded to the fishermen’s arguments, Paul Diodati answered, “The DMF recommendation (to open only February) is our response.”
He explained that the CCZ closure is one of the state’s most important conservation measures for Gulf of Maine cod, which showed some improvement in the most recent stock assessment and is no longer considered overfished (see CFN October 2008).
“It would be extreme to link the assessment to the CCZ, but we would like to think we contributed to that,” he said.
DMF Deputy Director David Pierce added that surveys in the CCZ during the second half of January showed nearly half of the cod present were either in spawning condition or entering it.
While holding his ground, Diodati indicated he understood the situation fishermen were facing and was considering ways to help. He mentioned, not for the first time, the possibility that Massachusetts could secure a portion of the overall cod quota, which it could then administer to state-permitted boats.
“We’re moving quickly in a new direction for how to manage codfish,” he said. “Our fishery is discrete enough that we might be able to quickly move to an ITQ system and get away from trip limits. And, while area closures serve an important purpose, they may become less important.”
Williams agreed.
“We have to get a quota from the feds,” he said. “There are about five gillnetters left supplying the history for the state.”
Dogfish news
There is good news on the spiny dogfish front, according to David Pierce, who has been heavily involved in dogfish science and management for years and has been following the latest stock survey developments.
“We are rebuilt,” he said. “There is a strong case for a quota increase, maybe as much as 50% up to 12 million pounds.”
In response to a question, Pierce said environmentalists’ concerns about there being too many small male dogfish and not enough large female dogfish also appeared to have been addressed.
“The ratio is what it was when the resource was robust,” he said. “Frankly, there’s no problem with that.”
But when it comes to dogfish, nothing’s easy, and it likely will take some work to convince the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to go along with a quota increase.
Pierce said NMFS may be concerned with the effect a period of low recruitment – meaning too few juvenile dogfish growing into adults – may have on the population. However, he said the argument can be made that if there is any kind of dip, it will be “modest.”
Plus, he added, “The last five years have seen fairly good recruitment.”
ASMFC vs. NMFS
In addition to tormenting commercial and recreational fishermen with their huge numbers and capacity to interfere with all kinds of fishing operations, the management situation for dogfish is also pretty tortured.
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC), which comes up with rules that the states agree to follow, approved an 8-million-pound interstate quota for 2008.
NMFS, which is responsible for federal waters management, has staunchly maintained a 4-million-pound quota for the last three years despite urging by the regional fishery management councils and ASMFC to increase the amount. The disparity has resulted in federal permit holders being shut down before state-only permit holders.
Furthermore, the states have disagreements among themselves on how the ASMFC quota should be divided up.
Pierce reminded the commission that ASMFC is considering shifting to state-by-state quotas for dogfish (see CFN October 2008) and Massachusetts is in line to qualify for a significant chunk of the total allocation.
The prospect of additional fishing opportunities prompted a discussion of how the commonwealth’s fishing industry could make the best use of increased dogfish landings.
Trade mission, MSC
At the suggestion of commission member John Pappalardo and with input from Diodati, it was agreed that DMF would come up with a proposal for a possible trade mission to Europe to explain the management situation and build buyer interest there.
European markets once hungrily demanded US-caught dogfish, but those markets dried up as management restrictions here reduced supply.
In the meantime, there has been growing pressure within Europe, particularly in the key market country of Germany, to deal only in dogfish that has been awarded Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification. MSC verifies that fish are caught in compliance with environmentally safe, sustainable harvesting practices.
Among East Coast fisheries currently pursing MSC certification are the Maine lobster industry and the Maryland striped bass industry.
However, Diodati voiced several concerns about the process. For one, certification is very expensive and, he added, striped bass is uniformly managed all along the eastern seaboard, which suggests that Maryland’s fishery is not unique.
Furthermore, he said the argument could be made that Massachusetts lobster is caught using more “sustainable” fishing practices than Maine lobster due to the statewide ban on floating groundlines, which are considered an entanglement threat to whales. Plus, MSC certification likely will be difficult to get if NMFS declines to cooperate.
Paying for it
Pappalardo suggested the states look into cooperating to pay for certification and emphasized that it was important to try.
“Canada is applying for MSC certification for dogfish. It has become a standard in Europe,” he said. “We need to re-establish these markets or we’ll be bringing home fertilizer.”
Dave Ellenton of Cape Seafoods Inc. in Gloucester agreed certification was vital.
“MSC is an absolute necessity to penetrate the market in Europe,” he said.
Ellenton also encouraged the state to take advantage of getting the marketing message out during the Boston seafood show and the European Seafood Exposition in Brussels.
Commission Chairman Vito Calamo urged DMF and Department of Fish and Wildlife Commissioner Mary Griffin to pursue the trade mission and outreach ideas.
“This may be a golden opportunity for Massachusetts fishermen to enter that market,” he said. “We could fill a big void for our fishermen.”
In other business, the commission:
• Voted to extend the moratorium on river herring for an additional three years;
• Adopted a DMF recommendation to establish a possession limit of 50 blue crabs per person per day for recreational and commercial fishermen; and
• Approved setting the Winter II period (November-December) commercial fishery scup trip limit at 2,000 pounds.
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