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Commercial Fisheries News
Volume 36 Number 4
December 2008
Shrimp advisers seek access to WGOM closure area; hope to revisit limited entry possibility for fishery
GLOUCESTER, MA – Industry advisers to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s (ASMFC) Northern Shrimp Section asked for help on two key issues during the section’s Nov. 7 meeting here.
The first involved regaining access to the northwestern corner of the Western Gulf of Maine (WGOM) Habitat Closure Area, which currently is off-limits to shrimp fishing. The second pertained to reopening the debate about limited entry.
Industry advisory panel Chairman Terry Alexander of Maine said that industry members, during their own meeting on Oct. 29, agreed to ask ASMFC to write a letter to the New England Fishery Management Council seeking a review of the WGOM area for shrimp fishing purposes.
The council briefly considered this issue back in 2004 under Framework Adjustment 40A to the groundfish plan but took no action.
Now, however, the council is working on a massive omnibus habitat amendment that will revise all of its management plans and, as a result, has begun reviewing existing habitat closures.
Given this ongoing analysis, Alexander said advisers thought the time was right for ASMFC to again draw the council’s attention to the shrimp issue.
Maggie Raymond of Associated Fisheries of Maine agreed and said, “You need to tell them this is important to the shrimp fishery and you would support a review.”
Alexander explained that shrimpers were talking about a very small portion of the WGOM Habitat Closure Area.
“We’re only asking for access to the mud bottom, and we have research to back up how little impact we have on the mud bottom,” he said.
Mud bottom study
Alexander provided section members with a Maine Sea Grant report documenting an 18-month study conducted in 2000 and 2001 by the University of Maine’s Darling Marine Center.
Titled “Effects of Shrimp Trawling on Mud Bottom Habitats and Animal Communities of Fishing Grounds in the Gulf of Maine,” the report states that “short-term changes … were detected” on actively trawled shrimp bottom.
But, the report concluded, “The results of this study indicate that shrimp trawling does not result in cumulative changes in habitat or sediment-dwelling animal community structure on mud bottom fishing grounds.”
After listening to industry’s request, Massachusetts ASMFC Commissioner Paul Diodati said, “I’m not opposed to evaluating this further.”
Given the council’s evolving habitat amendment, Maine Commissioner George Lapointe, too, supported giving it another shot despite the unsuccessful 2004 attempt.
With that, the section agreed to draft a letter.
Port Clyde, ME fishermen asked for a review of the Jeffrey’s Bank Habitat Closure Area as well, which the board agreed to include in the letter.
Limited entry
Advisers next asked the section for help in setting up meetings to allow fishermen from the three shrimp producing states – Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts – to reinitiate a discussion about limited entry and develop a proposal for further consideration.
“The advisers are asking the section to charge us with talking about limited entry,” said Alexander.
Although previous attempts to limit entry into the fishery have failed, Alexander noted that almost everyone who attended a shrimp limited-entry seminar at last winter’s Maine Fishermen’s Forum supported some form of limited entry.
The Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR) pulled together summary minutes of the session and noted that, while nearly all seminar attendees supported the concept, the “main challenge” would be developing and implementing a workable plan.
According to the summary, Maine has 1,456 vessels over 35' in length that are not currently licensed to go shrimp fishing but have the capability to do so.
“If the lobster fishery continues to decline, these vessels may enter the shrimp fishery,” noted the report.
Opposition
Advisers barely had a chance to make their case before section representative Vito Calomo, serving as a proxy for Massachusetts state Rep. Tony Verga, vehemently opposed the idea, arguing that only five Massachusetts vessels participated in the fishery last winter.
“Absolutely, without a shadow of a doubt, I’m not interested in any limited entry for vessels in the commonwealth of Massachusetts,” said Calomo. “I couldn’t open my mind to it even a little bit.”
But Maine fisherman Marshall Alexander urged the section to allow the discussion to take place.
“I’m not saying Massachusetts has to do it if they only have five boats in the fishery,” he said. “I’m just saying it would be responsible for this group to come up with some sort of control for when the resource goes down again. Those of us who are in this fishery are trying to be responsible. We’ve given more than anyone.”
Fellow Maine fisherman Vincent Balzano added, “We’re not trying to cut anyone out. What we’re trying to do is stabilize the fishery economically and biologically. We’re trying to avoid a 40-day season and no market.”
Maggie Raymond said fishermen understood there would be a certain amount of dissention.
“Of course everyone isn’t going to agree on this, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t go forward,” she said. “People have been asking for limited entry into this fishery for a long time. There are ways to construct a controlled-entry system that’s not just full limited entry.”
Section commissioners expressed numerous reservations.
Maine Sen. Dennis Damon said, “I am not in any way leaning toward limited entry in this fishery. I don’t like limited entry in a lot of other fisheries.”
While no clear conclusion was reached and the ASMFC section itself made no commitment to holding future meetings on the subject, Lapointe said he would raise the issue during a DMR Advisory Council meeting. And Damon seemed willing to inform the Maine Legislature’s Marine Resources Committee of the ongoing debate.
In a final action, the section approved three new advisers to its shrimp industry advisory panel.
They are: Andrew Lang of New Castle, NH; Vincent Balzano of Saco, ME; and Gary Libby of Port Clyde, ME.
For more information about shrimp related issues, contact Brad Spear, ASMFC’s shrimp plan coordinator, at (202) 289-6400.
Janice M. Plante
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