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Commercial Fisheries News
Volume 37 Number 4
December 2009
ME LAC seeks solutions to feared bait bust
HALLOWELL, ME – Discussion during the Nov. 9 meeting of the Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR) Lobster Advisory Council centered on concerns over potential substantial cuts to Atlantic herring quotas for the 2010 through 2012 fishing seasons.
The New England Fishery Management Council is considering a science-based recommendation for a huge reduction to the Atlantic herring catch limit.
A cut of that magnitude would reduce the allowable catch from 194,000 metric tons (mt) in 2009 to only 90,000 mt in 2010, a scenario that has, not surprisingly, heightened fears among lobstermen about shortages in next year’s bait supply.
“It’s going to be ugly out there,” said David Cousens, president of the Maine Lobstermen’s Association (MLA).
Some lobster advisory council members feared competition for scarce and expensive fresh herring bait could be the final straw for lobstermen already struggling to hold on in tough economic times brought on by low catch prices, high fuel costs, and the new federal sinking groundline requirement to help prevent whale entanglements.
Model at issue
MLA Executive Director Patrice McCarron presented the advisory council with an overview of the bait market. She stressed that the scientific model used to produce the numbers recommended to the New England council is at issue.
McCarron explained that scientists included a precautionary 40% buffer to counter the model’s tendency over time to overestimate stock size and underestimate fishing mortality (see CFN October 2009 for more details).
“That 40% accounts for uncertainty in the assessment results. It is a safety net,” she said. “The scientists need a different model. We need a new benchmark herring stock assessment as soon as possible. Let’s get rid of the uncertainty.”
DMR Commissioner George Lapointe reminded advisory council members that the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act now requires the New England council to follow the advice of its Scientific and Statistical Committee, despite the use of the flawed stock assessment model.
“If we move for a new benchmark assessment next year, they will run the same numbers through the same model,” Lapointe said. “They need someone to rebuild the model, and that will take some time.”
70% of bait
In her overview, McCarron noted that, according to DMR port sampling data, herring compromised 70% of the state’s bait resource in 2008.
The timing of the inshore herring fishery in Area 1A coincides with the time of year that most Maine lobstermen have their peak landings, July through December. The Area 1A fishery provides a source of fresh, local bait.
To help supplement the herring bait supply if the quota is slashed in 2010, McCarron supported increasing fishing effort on menhaden. She also suggested exploring the development of a redfish fishery.
However, McCarron explained that, while increased menhaden landings could supplement the short bait supply, lobstermen still would see increased bait costs. Menhaden caught outside the state would have to be brought in by the tractor-trailer load, excluding small bait dealers who lack the infrastructure to move fish at that volume.
“While all of Maine will be affected by a bait crisis, Downeast Maine and the islands along the Maine coast are the most vulnerable to bait shortages as they are located furthest from large bait distributors,” wrote McCarron.
Alternatives?
Alternative cowhide baits, which are now regulated by the DMR commissioner, currently represent less than 1% of the state’s bait supply.
The lobster advisers discussed the possibility of using frozen baits or importing freshwater or West Coast fish species, but noted that potential risks of disease would have to be assessed.
“I don’t want to be responsible for bringing VHS (viral hemorrhagic septicemia) to the East Coast,” said Cousens. “Don’t bring in junk and make the situation worse than it is.”
Added Lapointe, “Do we want a complete prohibition? No. But we want to know what we are talking about. We need to understand transmissibility between species.”
Marcy Nelson, an aquaculture and environmental assessment scientist with the DMR, explained that any number of diseases not specific to salmon could affect pelagic fish.
“To my knowledge, there is no one process able to kill every pathogen – salting, heating, or freezing,” she said.
Lobster advisory council and Zone B council member Jon Carter pointed out that frozen baits are always more expensive.
“Fishermen won’t pursue these baits,” he said. “They’re cost prohibitive. The numbers of people fishing will decline.”
Winnow out the weak?
A few council members expressed the belief that losing fishermen to high bait prices may benefit the industry as a whole by reducing the lobster supply and raising the boat price.
“But when does it get so bad that you lose the infrastructure that sustains your coastal community,” cautioned McCarron.
Carl Wilson, head lobster biologist with DMR’s Lobster Research, Monitoring, and Assessment Program, urged zone council leaders to survey their zones to gauge bait price limits that would cause lobstermen to drop their sternmen or stop fishing all together.
Cousens promoted the idea of improving fishing efficiency.
“How do we use half of the bait we use now?” he asked, suggesting that the council explore how the Canadian lobster fishery operates on a lower bait-per-lobster ratio.
Council members agreed to host an informational meeting in December or January as a way to gather ideas from all hands in the industry, including bait dealers.
“With last year’s price situation, we didn’t do anything, but sharing information helped people think better,” said Lapointe. “We didn’t come up with any miracles, but having the information out there helped.”
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