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Commercial Fisheries News
Volume 33 Number 7
March 2006
Council wrestles with mesh issues in FW 42
PORTLAND, ME – Two proposed mesh-size changes contained in Framework 42 to the groundfish plan generated considerable discussion at the New England Fishery Management Council’s Jan. 31-Feb. 2 meeting here.
The first would have forced any vessel required to use a haddock separator trawl in the Georges Bank haddock stock area to tow 6-1/2" square-mesh codends. That, fishermen argued, would completely inhibit their ability to catch any haddock at all.
The square-mesh requirement was defeated, but the vote was too close for comfort for many.
The second mesh-change on the table, which came as a request from industry, was to allow fishermen working in the Southern New England Regulated Mesh Area to use either 6-1/2" square- or 6-1/2" diamond-mesh codends.
Regulations currently require fishermen there to use 6-1/2" square mesh or 7" diamond. However, the 7" diamond mesh retains so few fish that no one uses it.
According to Southern New England fishermen, the problem with the square mesh is that it retains juvenile yellowtail.
“Industry is starting to see a pretty good year class of juveniles in the area and we need to do something here,” said Rhode Island council member Phil Ruhle. “We know that the 6-1/2" diamond will let a lot of juveniles out. Some boats will try composite nets.
“We don’t know the answer right now but the industry is willing to try. We ought to give them the latitude to try,” he said.
Council member Mark Gibson, also of Rhode Island, said he had reviewed data from the most recent industry-based yellowtail survey for Southern New England (see CFN February 2006 for details) and saw a four-to-five-fold increase in juveniles.
“Anything we could do to minimize discards on this cohort would be useful,” he said.
While the mesh size decrease from 7" to 6-1/2" diamond at first seemed counterintuitive to some council members, Massachusetts member Rodney Avila, a veteran yellowtail fisherman himself, argued, “This is the right thing to do. We’re not trying to circumvent the regulations.”
The council unanimously supported the proposal.
Haddock
The Georges Bank square-mesh-only provision was included in Framework 42 because some council members wanted to better protect the enormous 2003 year class of haddock, which will be recruiting into the fishery any time now.
Current regulations specify that fishermen can use either 6-1/2" square- or diamond-mesh codends, and the fleet working on Georges uses diamond mesh.
According to those who spoke, catching haddock in 6-1/2" diamond mesh was hard enough. Catching them in square mesh would be close to impossible.
“The economic loss of this motion is phenomenal because there’ll be no fishing for haddock on Georges Bank,” said Maine vessel owner Barbara Stevenson, who fiercely opposed the square-mesh-only proposal.
“From 1996 to 2004, we’ve left 113 million pounds of haddock in the ocean,” she said. “Haddock was the only economic salvation in Amendment 13. We have to be able to fish on them. At some point, you have to say, ‘Yes, here’s why you sacrificed for all those years.’”
Maggie Raymond of Associated Fisheries of Maine added, “There’s just no need for it. These fish are being very well protected, and there is no evidence of a discard problem. We’re already at a huge competitive disadvantage with Canada.”
Hard TAC should do it
Maine council member Jim Odlin strongly opposed the square-mesh proposal.
“I think we’re going in the totally wrong direction. Eastern Georges Bank haddock is under a hard TAC. We’re catching 20 percent of it. These fish are going to die before we catch them.”
But Massachusetts council member David Pierce was skeptical.
“I would like to take every possible step to husband this year class,” he said. “We all know that mesh selectivity breaks down when the bag is full.”
Maine council member Dana Rice didn’t think defeating the square-mesh requirement would hurt the stock.
“If there’s some little thing we can do to help the people who fish on Georges and not hurt the resource, then we should do it,” he said.
The Eastern Georges Bank haddock quota is shared annually between the US and Canada according to a set formula. Massachusetts council member John Pappalardo serves on the Transboundary Management Guidance Committee that annually develops these quota-share recommendations.
“I do support husbanding the year class, but I also support hard TAC management,” he said. “I don’t see evidence that discards are occurring. I say: Give ‘em another shot.”
The square-mesh only requirement failed by a 7-10 margin. As a result, fishermen working on Georges will continue to be allowed to choose between 6-1/2" diamond or square mesh.
VMS required
The council also approved a provision requiring vessel monitoring systems (VMS) aboard all boats using a groundfish day-at-sea.
Anyone who owns a limited-access groundfish vessel but does not intend to fish for regulated species will be allowed to renew the vessel’s permit without installing a VMS. However, that vessel will not be allowed to fish for groundfish.
Jim Kendall of New Bedford Seafood Consulting, who represents Boatracs on several management-related issues, urged the council to allow plenty of time for fishermen to have new units properly installed.
“The supply from Boatracs is available,” said Kendall. “It’s an installation issue.”
National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Regional Administrator Pat Kurkul assured the council that NMFS would allow extra installation time for VMSs once Framework 42 is implemented.
Janice M. Plante
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