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Commercial Fisheries News
Volume 33 Number 11
July 2006
Boats in Eastern US/CA area required to use haddock separator trawls
GLOUCESTER, MA - Concerned about the rapid rate of harvest of the Georges Bank cod quota, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) issued a “temporary” gear restriction requiring all vessels fishing with trawl gear under a groundfish day-at-sea in the Eastern US/Canada Management Area to use a haddock separator trawl.
The rule went into effect on June 19 and will remain in place – unless superseded by another rule – for the rest of the 2006 fishing year, which ends April 30, 2007.
Prior to the rule, groundfish trawl vessels working in the area were required to use either a haddock separator trawl or a flounder net.
However, NMFS in mid-June projected that 30% of the 374 metric ton total allowable catch (TAC) for Georges Bank cod would be harvested by June 20.
“At this rate, it is likely that the 2006 … Georges Bank cod TAC would be caught before the end of the fishing year, resulting in a premature closure of the Eastern US/Canada area and the potential under-harvest of the available TACs for Georges Bank haddock and Georges Bank yellowtail,” stated NMFS in a June 19 Federal Register notice.
Once 30% of a TAC is projected to be caught, the NMFS Northeast regional administrator has authority to modify certain regulations to prevent over- or under-harvest of the Georges Bank TACs. NMFS said it is hoping to prolong access to the eastern area by eliminating the use of flounder nets. The agency is required to close the area to all groundfish days-at-sea vessels for the rest of the fishing year when either the cod, haddock, or yellowtail TACs are projected to be filled.
In a June 14 permit holder letter, NMFS reminded fishermen that anyone fishing in the Eastern US/Canada area with a haddock separator trawl also must abide by certain possession limits for other species. These are:
• All regulated flatfish species combined, including yellowtail – 500 pounds per trip;
• Skates – 500 pounds per trip;
• Monkfish, Northern Fishery Management Area – 500 pounds whole weight per trip;
• Monkfish, Southern Fishery Management Area – 500 pounds per trip whole weight or 50 pounds per day-at-sea tail weight, whichever is less; and
• Lobsters – zero.
To track catches in the US/Canada area, go to <www.nero.noaa.gov/ro/fso/usc.htm>. /cfn/
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