November 2009 MAINE COASTAL NEWS Page 11.
Commercial Fishing News
SNOWE URGES NOAA TO RETHINK HERRING CATCH LIMITS
WASHINGTON D.C. – U.S. Senator Olympia high degrees of uncertainty. I recognize that that could lead to drastic, unsubstantiated $10,000-15,000. Simultaneously, the price
J. Snowe has urged Dr. Jane Lubchenco, the under the Magnuson-Stevens Act (MSA), catch reductions. I firmly believe in lobstermen receive for their catch has
Administrator of the National Oceanic and the Council is not mandated to accept the managing our fisheries based on strong plummeted to as low as $2.50 per pound,
Atmospheric Administration, to expedite SSC’s recommendation for this fishery until scientific data, but I also recognize—as does more than a sixty percent reduction from
Federal review of the science underlying the fishing year 2011, but I will not stand by and the MSA—the joint mandate to balance a what they received prior to the onset of the
current stock assessment of Atlantic allow this fishery and the businesses it requirement to achieve optimum yield from global economic recession.
herring. The northeast region’s science and supports to be decimated based on our fisheries with the need to minimize Before herring became the preferred bait
statistical committee has recommended that information so woefully outdated that the adverse economic impacts to the extent in the lobster industry, many lobstermen
the catch limit for herring be slashed by 53 scientists themselves complain about its practicable. used redfish in their pots. After years of
percent from this year’s levels for fishing applicability. It is absolutely critical that Herring is often described as a keystone overfishing followed by drastic regulatory
year 2009. In addition to supporting a National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) species in the Gulf of Maine, which, in changes, in 2007 Acadian redfish was
targeted fishery, herring is thought of as a carry out a new benchmark assessment as addition to the directed fishery, provides removed from both NMFS’s “overfished”
keystone species in the Gulf of Maine soon as possible to ensure that our forage for larger fish and marine mammals. In and “overfishing” lists. Subsequently,
ecosystem providing forage for larger fish fishermen are not unfairly punished by the Maine, landed herring is most often used as Maine’s Department of Marine Resources
and marine mammals, it is the main source of absence of viable data. bait for our lobster fishery, which last year
Continued on Page 12.
bait for the lobster industry. The MSA, as reauthorized in 2006, brought in $238 million, 79 percent of
“In the State of Maine, herring means includes a requirement that all fisheries must Maine’s fisheries
jobs. It is the bait that draws lobster into operate under strict annual catch limits landings value.
traps up and down our coast, the fuel that (ACL) by fishing year 2011 when, like Recently, lobstermen
drives the Stinson processing facility in herring, they are not overfished or subject to have been forced to
Prospect Harbor, and the bounty that fills the overfishing. The MSA further requires that absorb one blow after
nets of fishing vessels out of Rockland and once this provision takes effect, the another. New
Portland,” said Senator Snowe. “I will not Regional Fishery Management Councils regulations intended to
stand by and allow this fishery and the cannot set an ACL higher than the level protect endangered
businesses it supports to be decimated recommended by their SSC. We must ensure whales have imposed
based on information so woefully outdated that when that mandate enters into force, our additional annual gear
that the scientists themselves complain scientists are not faced with a paucity of data costs estimated at
about its applicability. It is absolutely
critical that National Marine Fisheries
Misc. CF News
Service (NMFS) carry out a new benchmark
improve the overall
assessment of the herring population as
Continued from Page 10. health of our estuar-
soon as possible, and that the Fishery
Management Council set a catch limit for
changes in the cell’s genes as conditions
ies.”
2010 that ensures our fishermen are not
change.
NOAA under-
unfairly punished by the absence of viable
“The ability to monitor individual genes
stands and predicts
data.”
from brown tide cells that are ‘turned on or
changes in the Earth’s
The following is the full text of Senator
off’ in response to nutrients is a break-
environment, from the
Snowe’s letter to Dr. Lubchenco:
through that can show us precisely which
depths of the ocean to
nutrient conditions foster the growth of
the surface of the sun,
October 7, 2009
brown tide cells in nature,” said principal
and conserves and
Dr. Jane Lubchenco
investigator Sonya Dyhrman, Ph.D., of the
manages our coastal
Administrator
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. “It
and marine resources.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
is difficult to track how nutrient type and
Administration
supply influence harmful algal blooms be-
1401 Constitution Avenue, NW
cause most of the approaches examine all
KUSTOM STEEL
Washington, DC 20230
species in the environment, rather than one
specific harmful species.”
Dear Dr. Lubchenco,
“This project is timely as the state of New
The New England Fishery Management
York is currently developing a nutrient man-
Council is currently developing catch limits
agement strategy for our estuaries,” said
for Atlantic herring for fishing year 2010.
Karen Chytalo, Section Chief of Marine Habi-
Last month, the region’s Science and
tat Protection of the New York State Depart-
Statistical Committee (SSC) recommended
ment of Environmental Conservation. “The
that the acceptable biological catch (ABC) of
type of detailed information this project will
herring be slashed by 53 percent from the
provide is exactly what we need to develop
2009 limit. This decision was based on data
estuarine nutrient criteria so that, ultimately,
we can prevent these damaging events and
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