Fewer Days At Sea??

By Roger Wood on Wednesday, September 24, 2003.

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New proposed strict regulations on New England's fishing industry have drawn considerable negative reaction from New Hampshire commercial fishermen. New Hampshire Public Radio Correspondent Roger Wood reports.

The proposed restrictions are part of whatï¿½s called Amendment 13.

Thatï¿½s the latest change to the original Magnuson-Stevens Act, intended to rebuild depleted coastal fish populations.

Other amendments have restricted fishing gear, fish sizes and the days fishing at sea.

Amendment 13ï¿½s proposal is a direct result of a lawsuit filed against the National Marine Fisheries Service in 2001.

The Conservation Law Foundation charges the government has not done enough to rebuild fish species like cod, haddock and yellowtail flounder.

If implemented the new proposal would again reduce the number of allowable fishing days.

Currently fisherman can average 50-70 days a year at sea.

The New England Fishery Management Council heard from local fishermen on Tuesday.

Among them, Tony Marquis, President of the Portsmouth Fisherman's Cooperative, argued that the amendment would essentially end the careers of those who dock there.

(Marquis) :12

"What's going to happen now to guys that are in the fifties and forties and that are fishing now? You might as well tell them guys to go home. You know, these guys all have boats, they all have families."

Two summers ago, the cooperative did close, temporarily, until a Federal judge suspended harsher fishing regulations.

David Goethel, of Hampton, a fisherman and marine biologist, produced charts showing years of fishing for the endangered Cape Cod yellowtail flounder.

He pointed out that there hasn't been any significant difference in landings since regulations began.

(Goethel) :28

"What I'm getting at here is that over 40 years, this appears to be an incredibly stable fishery. That despite mesh sizes, and despite fishing patterns, has produced on average 2260 tons per year over 42 years. Now all of a sudden, it's 95 per cent overfished, and we've got to get to levels approaching zero. Something is wrong here, gentlemen, use your headsï¿½this makes no sense."

The Fishery Management Council recommends new fishing regulations to the National Marine Fisheries Service.

The ultimate decision rests in the hands of the Secretary of Commerce.

But the Council canï¿½t decide which restrictions will be most effective in rebuilding the fish population.

And the Feds want something in place within the next decade.

Council staff analyst Tom Nies said that there are four alternatives on the table;

a 65 per cent reduction in days at sea;

modifications in allowable fishing nets;

changes in the ways present fishing areas are managed;

and hard limits on the total allowable catch.

He concedes that none of those options please local fishermen.

(Nies):14

"Many of them believe that we should stay with the regulations that are in place now, or the regulations that were in place in 2001. But there are also some that believe something else is needed, but they don't like the alternatives in the amendment."

More hearings are scheduled this week in Ellsworth and Portland Maine.

And fishermen can submit written comments to the New England Fishery Management Council in Newburyport, Massachusetts.
The deadline is October 15th.

Any new Commerce Department regulations would go into effect next May.

For NHPR News, this is Roger Wood.