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STONINGTON, ME - For the second year in a row, a handful of Downeast Maine boats have the chance to participate in an experimental fishery for Atlantic halibut.
The fishery is a cooperative project involving the Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR), Maine Sea Grant, and the fishermen. The purpose of the experiment is to continue the collection of data on halibut including distribution, relative abundance, migration, and stock definition and size.
"We are trying to get basic biological data on halibut," said Terry Stockwell, DMR field coordinator and manager of the project. "Our purpose is to see if a small, seasonal hook fishery for halibut is sustainable in this eastern part of the Gulf of Maine."
The Downeast area has had a longstanding spring hook fishery for halibut. Traditionally starting in April, boats would fill in the time between the end of winter fishing such as scalloping and the start of lobsters by setting halibut tub trawls.
But recent federal rules, which restrict the catch of halibut to one fish per trip, as well as a debate over limits in state waters, have effectively closed the door on that effort.
Boats involved in the experimental fishery were issued exempted fishing permits (EFPs) by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), and by mid-April had started setting trawls of baited hooks.
NMFS laid out the rules for the experimental fishery, and, for the most part, followed what DMR and the fishermen had asked for in their proposal, Stockwell said.
"We wanted a few modifications from how the 2000 experiment ran, and NMFS agreed to most of our requests."
The EFP allows the boats to possess and land more than one halibut per trip. Only legal-sized fish, at least 36" total length, can be sold. Undersized fish are required to be sampled for scales, measured, tagged, and released.
The boats have to maintain logbooks that record detailed information about gear sets, all the halibut that are caught, and any bycatch. Further, they are required to carry onboard observers as requested by NMFS and DMR.
The DMR submitted the application for the 2001 experimental fishery last November, requesting a two-month long project that would run from April 1 to May 31. Since the permits weren't issued until April 12, Stockwell is hopeful of getting the lost days added back in after May 31.
This year, six boats have been permitted. They include last year's three participants: Paul Dorr and Bruce Jones of Stonington and Steve Rosen of Vinalhaven. Added for 2001 are Jon Carter of Bar Harbor, Jeff Alley of Beals, and Bud Brown of Georgetown. Brown, a recreational fisherman, is the president of the Maine Coastal Conservation Association (CCA).
CCA has been a major critic of the experimental fishery. By having Brown agree to participate, Stockwell hopes the value of the research project will be strengthened.
"Commercial and recreational should work collaboratively if we are going to have dialogue on inshore halibut regs," he said.
The experimental fishery can harvest up to 1,080 fish, the same as set for the 2000 experiment, which works out to 180 fish per boat. Another of the rule modifications will allow boats to start with a 50-fish total allowable catch (TAC). Once the TAC is reached the boats will be limited to six fish per day, the same as last year.
Regarding gear, boats are limited to 700 hooks each and are restricted to using circle hooks no smaller than 14/0 in size. The change to a smaller minimum hook size is an effort to tag a greater number of undersized fish, Stockwell said.
In the 2000 experimental halibut fishery, the three permitted boats caught a total of 234 fish with 162 kept and 72 released. Of those kept, 31 were brought in alive as potential broodstock for the University of Maine's Center for Cooperative Aquaculture Research.
Susan Jones
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