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Commercial Fisheries News
Volume 35 Number 6
February 2008
MA rejects Outer Cape trap cut; sets February hearings agenda
BOSTON, MA – The Massachusetts Marine Fisheries Commission held its monthly meeting at the new Boston Convention & Exhibition Center on Jan. 17 in conjunction with the New England Boat Show.
While boat show traffic was sparse, a group of nearly 20 concerned lobstermen from the Outer Cape Cod Lobster Conservation Management Area attended the meeting to hear how the state would respond to a petition to reduce the maximum number of traps allowed in the area from 800 to 600.
Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) Director Paul Diodati reassured the lobstermen that his agency had examined the request and concluded that no reduction was needed at this time.
He said the resource was considered healthy and that trap attrition was occurring naturally because lobstermen pay a conservation “tax” whenever traps are transferred.
“The petition is moot,” he said. “The subject of decreasing traps is no longer on the table.”
Scup, dogfish
The commission took action on the following fisheries.
Scup – The commission endorsed a DMF recommendation to set the Winter 1 period (January-April) commercial trip limit at 30,000 pounds with the limit dropping to 1,000 pounds when 80% of the quota is taken. And
Spiny dogfish – The commission endorsed a DMF recommendation to adopt a 600-pound daily trip limit for dogfish for the period May 1-Aug. 31, 2008, increasing to 2,000 pounds on Sept. 1. The 2,000-pound-limit will remain in effect until 58% of the annual Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission-approved regional quota of 8 million pounds is reached.
Public hearings
The commission also signed off on the final agenda for public hearings, which have been scheduled for Feb. 26 and 27 in Gloucester and Plymouth.
During the hearings, DMF and the commission will accept comments on proposals to set new commercial harvest levels for black sea bass, scup, and summer flounder.
Comment also will be accepted on a DMF proposal to set state-waters possession limits for monkfish in line with federal trip limits of 50 pound of tails or 166 pounds of whole monkfish.
And, the commission and DMF will be looking for comments on a DMF proposal to re-establish June 7, 2007 as a control date for all hook gear fisheries except striped bass.
For more information, call DMF at (617) 626-1520 or visit the DMF web site at <www.mass.gov/dfwele/dmf>.
Lorelei Stevens
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