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Feature Articles
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Groundfish Amendment 13:
A first culling of strategies for the public hearing document
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This article is reprinted with permission of Commercial Fisheries News, the Northeast's fishing newspaper for over 30 years, ©2003 Compass Publications Inc. Commercial Fisheries News is published monthly; annual subscriptions are $21.95. To subscribe or request a sample issue: call (877) 263-4496; fax (207) 367-2490; e-mail (cfoster@fish-news.com); or click on the hot link.
DANVERS, MA - The New England Fishery Management Council voted on May 16 to send a list of potential groundfish management strategies to the groundfish plan development team (PDT) for further analysis.
The council will take a look at the PDT's work at its June 24-26 meeting in Rockport, ME. There, the council will review the technical advice, accept public comment, make modifications accordingly, and then ask the PDT for further analysis.
In July, the council will select the final list of alternatives for the Amendment 13 public hearing document. Between now and July, a lot could happen to sway the council's vote. In May, none of the council members seemed wedded to any of the potential management strategies.
Here's the list the council agreed to send to the PDT for the next level of analysis:
- The settlement agreement, as developed by the intervenors, defendants, and Conservation Law Foundation in the ongoing groundfish lawsuit;
- Judge Kessler's remedial order, which included measures way beyond the terms of the settlement agreement;
- Area management using area-specific target total allowable catches (TACs) for inshore and offshore Gulf of Maine, eastern and western Georges Bank, and Southern New England/Mid-Atlantic, with the boundary lines between areas yet to be selected, though the PDT was charged with putting forward one specific boundary line alternative regarding eastern vs. western Georges Bank and Georges Bank vs. Southern New England;
- Sector allocation;
- The Gulf of Maine Inshore Fisheries Conservation and Stewardship Plan of 2002, with an analysis of the impact of fishermen having to declare into an area for the fishing year or a minimum of 30 days;
- A days-at-sea based alternative known as PDT Option 2, which calls for a 15% reduction in total days-at-sea (not individual days), coupled with other measures to meet the mortality targets; and
- A vessel performance program, which was developed by New Hampshire council member Erik Anderson and involves target TACs on a vessel-by-vessel basis.
More ideas
Other measures that the council asked the PDT to analyze for possible inclusion in Amendment 13 are:
- Options to "reduce regulatory discards" of Gulf of Maine cod, with one alternative being 8" mesh escape panels in trawl nets;
- Options to improve monitoring of the recreational catch, possibly by permitting private recreational boats as is currently required of party/charter vessels;
- Opening the southern end of Closed Area II for yellowtail flounder, possibly from June to November, so that groundfish boats can make a selected number of trips with a given trip limit on a healthy fish stock;
- An exemption from the groundfish closed areas for tuna purse seiners;
- For purposes of regulatory relief, a proposal to eliminate the dayboat gillnet requirement to take 21 days out of the fishery; and
- Setting aside a 20% share of the Gulf of Maine cod TAC for the recreational fishery.
Public chance to comment on possible Amendment 13 strategies: New England Fishery Management Council Meeting June 24-26, Samoset Resort, Rockport, ME
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