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Commercial Fisheries News
Volume 35 Number 3
November 2008
US Sen. Snowe hears groundfish fears firsthand
PORTLAND, ME – US Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME) brought the Congress to her home state on Oct. 14 to hear concerns about the future of the groundfish fishery, current and pending restrictive regulations, and the accuracy of the science behind them.
About 75 people, including a seven-member panel, environmentalists, National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) personnel, industry advocates, and many vessel owners, attended the somber event at Portland City Hall.
After years of financial and emotional pain to rebuild 19 key groundfish stocks off of New England, today’s remaining groundfish fishermen find themselves facing additional days-at-sea cuts in 2009 to comply with the federal groundfish plan and the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act.
“We have an ecosystem that was depleted, and now it’s out of balance,” NMFS Acting Director Jim Balsiger told Snowe.
Balsiger was joined on the panel by: Terry Stockwell of the Maine Department of Marine Resources; New England Fishery Management Council members Rip Cunningham, Jim Odlin, a vessel owner and member of Associated Fisheries of Maine, and Sally McGee of the Environmental Defense Fund; Dan Holland of the Gulf of Maine Research Institute; and Glen Libby, a vessel owner and operator and a member of the Midcoast Fishermen’s Association.
“The state of Maine cannot survive another days-at-sea reduction. We are in danger of losing Maine’s and New England’s groundfish fishery,” Stockwell told the senator.
Odlin predicted the anticipated 18% or more reduction in days-at-sea in 2009 will take “a lot of groundfish fishermen out of the state of Maine.”
Libby followed up on that, saying, “The current days-at-sea system has been a dismal failure. Our current management system needs to be fixed before the last groundfish fisherman leaves the state of Maine.”
Sectors, science
Sally McGee told Snowe the New England council’s sector management approach, which would give quota shares to groups of fishermen to manage for themselves, is a viable alternative to days-at-sea.
“The sector approach we are working on will be a win-win for everyone,” she said.
However, Odlin raised questions about the accuracy of the science that is used to determine quotas and regulations.
“The industry has no confidence in the science,” he said. “We need to have industry-based surveys where survey and industry vessels tow alongside each other.”
Snowe listened carefully to the testimony of the panel members and, when they were done, she asked them, “How much more can the industry absorb and still be viable? I believe the whole New England groundfish fishery is in danger, and Maine has suffered even more disproportionally than the other states.”
Public testimony
Snowe then opened the floor to comments from the audience. Among those who spoke were: Bert Jongerden, general manager of the Portland Fish Exchange; vessel owner Robert Odlin; Amanda Odlin; and Angelo Ciocca, owner of Nova Seafoods Ltd.
“Portland used to be robust. The term ‘ghost town’ is used to describe it today. Its fleet has shrunk, and many have shifted to Massachusetts. Don’t let us die,” said Robert Odlin.
Snowe responded, “We have to make sure you stay in business and also in Maine.”
Jongerden explained how the Maine fleet has dwindled.
“The number of Maine groundfish vessels within the last (two decades) has shrunk from 350 to 70,” he said. “We have lost over 76% of our landings in four years. Don’t cut any more days-at-sea. Any more cuts and we will lose the industry forever.”
The comments from Ciocca and Amanda Odlin in particular described the flaws in the current system and possible remedies that could help save the groundfish industry, especially in Maine.
“The language of Magnuson-Stevens isn’t working, and you can’t realistically rebuild all of the stocks simultaneously,” said Ciocca.
Using haddock as an example, he said, “Now their numbers are at historical levels. Today’s haddock were spawned from a very small haddock population. The ocean will do what it wants to do when the time is right. The cod will also come back on the ocean’s terms and not on ours.”
Ciocca added that he felt the way that survey data is collected is seriously flawed.
“There is too much faith in the Northeast Fisheries Science Center and the models it has created,” he said. “I believe our boats should be doing the surveys with the scientists to get a real feel of what is out there. We have to correct this before the industry implodes like Wall Street did.”
While Amanda Odlin told Snowe that Maine needs to level the playing field by eliminating fuel tax and the ban on offshore lobster landings to get the groundfish boats back, she added that there needs to be a shift in focus within the Magnuson-Stevens Act.
“All I’ve ever seen is the conservation side and not the economy side,” Odlin said. “I see that as breaking the law. I hope NMFS will have to be more accountable.”
Peter K. Prybot
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