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Commercial Fisheries News
Volume 35 Number 8
April 2008
MA adopts new rules for spring fisheries
NEW BEDFORD, MA – Based on recommendations from the state Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF), the Massachusetts Marine Fisheries Commission adopted several new approaches for governing the 2008 scup, fluke, black sea bass, monkfish, and commercial hook fisheries during its March 6 meeting here.
After some discussion, the commission voted to adopt a March 6, 2008 control date for the commercial hook fishery, meaning that fishermen who obtain a hook-and-line permit after that date could be treated differently under future management programs than those individuals who had a permit before that date. The control date applies to all hook fisheries except striped bass.
According to DMF Director Paul Diodati, a previous 2004 control date on the hook fishery had expired. Although DMF asked for public comment on a June 7, 2007 control date at public hearings in late February, the commission decided to go with the more current March 6, 2008 date.
Commission member John Pappalardo called the new control date “a start” toward separating professional commercial fishermen from those who fish on an occasional basis, and asked that the commission consider creating a subcommittee “to discuss defining what a commercial fisherman is.”
Black sea bass
At the commission’s meeting in December, DMF staffers explained that significant cuts in federal and interstate total allowable landing (TAL) limits were going to make it extremely difficult to track 2008 landings in a timely way and close fisheries before TALs were exceeded.
During the February hearings, the agency offered up some restrictive proposals for controlling landings and asked fishermen to offer alternative strategies.
The Massachusetts Pot and Trap Fishermen’s Association did just that for the black sea bass fishery, which only has a 340,000-pound TAL this year.
Rather than the state’s proposal to delay opening the fishery until July 16, thereby eliminating the spring fishery, the association recommended adopting a three-day black sea bass fishing week –- Sunday, Monday, and Wednesday – beginning May 1. That would be followed by a four-day fishing week – Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday – for the fall fishery beginning Aug. 1. The annual TAL would be split evenly between the spring and fall periods.
DMF recommended this strategy and the commission approved it.
Scup
For 2008, Massachusetts’ share of the coastwide commercial scup quota is only 557,650 pounds, just over half of what it was in 2007.
DMF recommended – and the commission approved – cutting the scup set-aside for the weir fishery by 46% to 121,500 pounds. Other measures adopted included:
Prohibit possession of scup harvested by hook and line during black sea bass no-fishing days;
Status quo possession limits for draggers of 400 pounds; and
Status quo possession limits for all other gears of 200 pounds May 1-July 31 and 400 pounds beginning Aug. 1.
For the “for-hire” fleet, the commission endorsed: a new size limit of 11"; a 45-fish bag limit from May 15 to June 28; and a 10-fish bag limit from June 29-Sept. 17.
DMF Deputy Director David Pierce explained that no one, including DMF staff, was happy with the increased restrictions on the scup fishery, but they were the best that could be negotiated through the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission.
Pierce added that DMF planned to “amp up” scup research to improve what he believed was inadequate data on the resource. “We hope to start sampling pots, for example, to be able to better describe the scup fishery in Massachusetts waters,” he said.
Fluke, monkfish
After some discussion, the commission voted unanimously to approve the DMF recommendations for summer flounder as they were discussed at public hearings. These included eliminating the winter fishery subperiods and delaying the opening of the winter fishery until February with a 500-pound daily possession limit.
Pierce explained that the proposal and restrictive trip limit were the state’s attempt to stretch out this year’s limited quota. He noted that, in years past, the Massachusetts fishery was open with high trip limits at the same time Rhode Island’s fishery was closed.
That enticed Rhode Island boats to land in Massachusetts, quickly filling up the Massachusetts quota and giving Rhode Island “a competitive advantage.”
“This is a better approach, and it was supported by offshore fishermen,” Pierce said of the late opening and 500-pound limit. “We don’t want to draw boats from Rhode Island, and we want to try to stretch out the winter quota as long as we can.”
As a result of the change, Massachusetts now will have two fluke fishing periods per year: Period I, Feb. 1-April 22; and Period II, April 23-Dec. 31.
The commission also approved a DMF recommendation to adopt trip limits consistent with federal rules for monkfish Category B and D permits in the Northern Fishery Management Area, which are currently 470 pounds of tails or 1,560 pounds of whole monkfish.
There was extensive discussion among commission members and DMF staff about the need to closely monitor the state waters fishery to make sure that federally permitted fishermen aren’t handing off monkfish in excess of their limits to state-only permitted fishermen.
According to Pappalardo, this practice has been “rampant” in Rhode Island.
Herring monitoring
In her comments to the commission, Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) Commissioner Mary Griffin reported that the Environmental Bond Bill, H 4446, was alive and well and moving through the legislative process.
The bill includes $750,000 for the Cape Cod Commercial Hook Fishermen’s Association (CCCHFA) specifically to develop a shore-based monitoring program for small-mesh pelagic species such as herring and mackerel, according to a CCCHFA press release. The proposal was included in the bill by Outer Cape Rep. Sarah Peake.
The monitoring plan is modeled on systems currently used in Alaska and Oregon, according to the CCCHFA, and will provide actual weights of landed fish rather than estimates from fishermen and dealers. The plan also includes funding for shore-based fishery observers to ensure that all fish unloaded in the small pelagics fishery are classified by species.
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