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Commercial Fisheries News
Volume 35 Number 5
January 2008
Status quo for fluke rules; sector brewing
NARRAGANSETT, RI – The Rhode Island Marine Fisheries Council decided at its Dec. 3 meeting against recommending any changes in state regulations for the upcoming summer flounder and black sea bass fisheries.
Testimony during a public hearing held Nov. 27 favored no change. Council member David Preble declared the council’s agreement and said that status quo would be the recommendation to the state Department of Environmental Management (DEM) for the 2008 season.
In a slide presentation by DEM biologist Jason McNamee, the status quo option was outlined alongside Rhode Island Commercial Fishermen’s Association (RCIFA) recommendations for summer flounder and Rhode Island Scup and Black Sea Bass Advisory Panel recommendations for black sea bass.
The difference between status quo and the RICFA recommendation was in the summer program. The association wanted to split the season into two parts and give each 17.5% of the summer quota with trip limits of 100 pounds per day or 350 pounds per week. Status quo calls for a single summer season with a 35% quota allocation with trip limits of 100 pounds daily and 350 pounds weekly.
The RICFA wanted to return to the old system of splitting the summer season into two parts, explaining that, with one season, the 35% allocation will be harvested at the beginning of the summer, leaving no quota for later on in the season.
The only difference between status quo and the advisory panel recommendation concerning black sea bass management was the pounds-per-day trip limit for the May 1-July 31 season. Status quo dictated 100 pounds per day, while the advisory panel proposed 200 pounds per day.
Sector pilot
RICFA President Chris Brown went over with the council the highlights of a fluke sector pilot program that will be discussed in greater depth during the next council meeting in January. Brown said that, if all goes well, the program will be implemented in 2009.
“We hope to integrate a state-approved fluke sector pilot program with the Southern New England inshore groundfish sector and establish the first full-retention bottom trawl fishery on the East Coast,” Brown said.
Describing the current situation as a “regulatory nightmare,” he said the problem stemmed in part from the fact that fluke are managed by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council and groundfish stocks are managed by the New England council. However, fishermen fish for yellowtail, cod, and fluke all at the same time.
Consequently, at times, “We must discard groundfish to catch fluke and discard fluke to effectively utilize our days-at-sea,” Brown said. “The current system does not allow the New England council to even consider fluke bycatch in the execution of its agenda.”
Brown added that, at the same time, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) “turned around and threatened to close the fluke fishery if we don’t get our act together.”
Sector purpose
The opening paragraph of the proposal clearly outlines the RICFA position.
“The purpose of the RICFA sector allocation proposal is to enhance the sustainability of the fluke fishery through the decentralization of regulatory authority and diminishment of the inefficiencies of quota management through the employment of community co-management and rights-based stewardship principals,” the proposal states. “It is, furthermore, our intention to raise the bar on wasteful management practices and expose the virtue and profitability of a full-retention bottom trawl fishery in Southern New England.”
Brown said that the comprehensive program will be ready to be presented to the council in January and that he firmly believes the proposal will be an effective solution to the ongoing groundfish problems.
A workshop on how sector allocations might be applied to New England’s quota-managed fisheries has been scheduled for Jan. 15-16 at the Village Inn Resort and Conference Center in Narragansett. For more information call Barbara Somers at (401) 874-2012 or visit the web site <http://seagrant.gso.uri.edu>.
Gillnet proposals
In other business, a report on the activities of the Industry Advisory Committee indicated that another meeting – with all committee members present – was needed to discuss three gillnet proposals before the proposals could be introduced to the council for consideration.
Industry Advisory Committee Chairman Ken Ketcham read the highlights of one proposal submitted by Ted Platz that was designed to place some controls on the gillnet fishery, including: a control date to eliminate latent effort; tags for gillnets; a 50-net limit; and a 300' length limit.
The committee also discussed a recommendation in the proposal to raise the license fee to $300 per year, although many thought raising the fee was unnecessary.
No votes were taken on the proposal. The committee just had a general discussion that was forwarded to the council.
The committee also discussed a proposal submitted by the Rhode Island Commercial Rod and Reel Association, as well as a third proposal submitted by K. Duckworth.
Trap transferability
Lobster Advisory Panel Chairman Jody King reported on the Nov. 4 meeting of the board at Fort Wetherill in Jamestown.
King said that the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s (ASMFC) American Lobster Management Board had initiated a draft addendum to the interstate lobster plan on trap transferability.
Addendum XII is being designed to establish protocols for the consistent application of trap transferability programs for all management areas and to provide for fair implementation of individual transferable trap (ITT) programs that allow for flexibility in the fishery, meet the conservation objectives of the plan, and ensure that effort does not increase as a result of trap transfers.
The ASMFC lobster board also approved the initiation of draft Addendum XIII, which will propose replacement of the Outer Cape Cod Management Area effort control plan with a plan that has been implemented by Massachusetts.
King also reported that NMFS is getting up to speed with ASMFC concerning the implementation of gauge increases, escape vent size increases, and reduction of the federal waters trap cap.
Lobster rule changes
The advisory panel also voted to ask the council to recommend to DEM making a change in state lobster regulations – adding “Area 2” in three places to Rhode Island Marine Fisheries Statues and Regulations Part XV 15.14.1-1 – to prevent any dual trap allocations (state/federal) from coming out of a single fishing history.
A motion to recommend adoption of the 5-1/4" maximum gauge size for Area 2 also passed the advisory panel in a 4-1 vote.
An additional motion by Rhode Island Lobstermen’s Association President Lanny Dellinger to ask the council to recommend changing the trap tag effective date to June 1 passed on a vote of 4-0 with one abstention.
The next Rhode Island Marine Fisheries Council meeting was scheduled for Jan. 7, 2008.
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