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Page 20. MAINE COASTAL NEWS May 2010

Groundfish Management Measures

Continued from Page 13.

sures will fundamentally change the way this fishery will be managed. Fishing vessels may now fish with others as a group, or “sector.” Sectors, which are voluntary for fishing ves- sels, are formed each year and given a portion of the total available groundfish catch based on the combined fishing history of their mem- ber vessels. About half of the vessels, repre- senting about 98 percent of the groundfish landings in recent years, that were eligible to join a sector have done so. If they don’t opt into a sector, fishermen will continue to fish, but must comply with strict limits on the number of fishing days, trip limits for some species, and seasonal and area closures. Fishermen who participate in a fishing sector have more control over where and how they want to fish in order to target healthy fish stocks and avoid the stocks in the worst condition. Sector vessels are exempt from many area and gear restrictions, but must agree to stop fishing once the sector catches its allotment of fish. Both sector- and non- sector vessels can also increase that allot- ment by leasing and trading shares of catch or fishing days.

Over the past several weeks, NOAA Administrator Dr. Jane Lubchenco, NOAA Assistant Administrator for NOAA’s Fisher- ies Service Eric Schwaab, and other senior NOAA officials have met with fishermen and community leaders from around the North- east regarding the changes coming to the groundfish industry. Together with regional congressional leaders and other elected offi- cials, they have committed to work to take advantage of scientifically sound flexibility within the law, adaptive opportunities, and economic assistance to help fishermen and fishing communities adjust to these changes. “Going forward we will make a concerted effort to monitor the effects of the new mea- sures and to make improvements as quickly as possible,” said Schwaab. He noted that there is new information on the condition of

skate stocks, an alternative fishery for many participants in the groundfish fishery, and that there will be new information on the condition of pollock stocks this summer. “If these stocks are improving—and we do not know that yet—we will work to put that information into action, which could mean an increase in the allowable catch for both stocks without damaging rebuilding,” he said.

Also this week, Schwaab sent a letter to the New England Fishery Management Council, pledging his support in continuing to work closely with the Council in making adjustments to catch limits or allowable fish- ing practices as stock assessment work, new gear research and other applied science pro- vide additional information.

“Fishermen are understandably appre- hensive about the changes, not only because they mean significant catch cuts, but also because for many it means doing business in a completely new way,” said Patricia Kurkul, NOAA’s northeast fisheries regional admin- istrator. “Taking these actions is critical to the long-term health of the fish and the fish- ing businesses that rely on them. We have seen some hard-won and positive improve- ments in stocks in recent years, and we be- lieve these measures help ensure the future health of the fish and the fishery.” Also included in today’s announcement is NOAA’s commitment to work with the council on issues related to groundfish fleet consolidation and on a pilot program for a gillnet haddock fishery using specialized gear to limit unwanted catch of other species. However, to protect the most vulnerable stocks, no commercial groundfish vessel will be allowed to land windowpane flounder, ocean pout, wolffish, or southern New En- gland winter flounder. There are also some new requirements to limit the recreational fishery impact on overfished and recovering stocks, including Gulf of Maine cod, and expanded reporting and monitoring pro- grams to better track the commercial fishery

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catch.

During FY2009 and FY2010, NOAA and Congress have committed approximately $47.2 million to the northeast groundfish fish- ery to support start-up of sectors and other provisions of this action, to conduct at-sea research with the industry focused on devel- oping more selective gear for this fishery, and to develop permit banks that may provide additional fishing opportunities to small- scale participants in the groundfish fishery . Some of the measures announced today are intended to provide more ways for busi- nesses to use their allocations of days or shares. It will now be easier for vessels that do not participate in sectors to transfer or lease days-at-sea, and trading of annual catch entitlements among sectors is also al- lowed. Also, a qualified vessel will now be allowed to hold a groundfish and scallop limited access permit, which could result in higher profitability and lower costs com-

pared to operating two separate vessels. NOAA is currently discussing with the National Academy of Sciences the possibil- ity of an analysis of the rebuilding times for overfished stocks. The current law requires these timeframes to be as quick as possible, but no more than 10 years unless the biology of the stock, environmental conditions or international management measures to which the U.S. is a party dictate otherwise. Schwaab also said that NOAA is com- mitted to finding more ways for the ground- fish fishery to target stocks that can with- stand more harvest. Continued cooperative research with the industry is a key part of this effort. In the past two years, NOAA’s North- east Cooperative Research Program has funded $13 million in such projects, including $2.5 million in awards recently announced for eight projects involving more than two dozen partners and a study fleet of more than 25 trawl vessels.

NEW PROTESTS PROCEDURES

Continued from Page 8.

senting the United States at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

* * * * *

ACTUAL TEXT OF PRESCRIPTIONS, EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2010

Prescription to rule 60:

US SAILING prescribes that when re- dress has been requested or is to be consid- ered, any boat may participate in the hearing provided she makes a written request before the hearing begins. When she does so, the protest committee shall act under rule 60.3(b) to consider redress for her at that hearing.

Prescription to rule 63.2:

US SAILING prescribes that when re- dress has been requested or is to be consid-

Prescription to rule 63.4:

USSA prescribes that when practicable: (a) no person who brings an incident to the attention of the protest committee or who will give evidence at the hearing shall be a member of the protest committee; and (b) if a boat files a request for redress based on a protest committee decision, her request for redress shall be heard by a new committee that contains no members of the original committee.

Report: Progress to Sustain Fisheries

Continued from Page 11.

of catch share programs to manage fisheries supporting coastal communities. The report describes one example of an effective catch share program. Now nearly 15 years old, the program for halibut in Alaska has extended the season from less than a week to eight months, helped raise the value and quality of the catch in the marketplace, improved fishermen’s safety and reduced unintended bycatch of juvenile halibut and other species. While the report details much progress, it also outlines significant challenges, includ- ing ending overfishing for about 20 percent of U.S. stocks where overfishing persists. The Northeast continues to have the largest number of overfished stocks of any region, despite significant progress with some stocks due to fishing restrictions. Other

areas of concern include the low populations of reef fishes— which grow slowly and repro- duce late—in the South Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico, where fishing has increased as hu- man populations have grown.

The report also outlines the status of many marine mammals and sea turtles. Recent stock assessments in Alaska show contin- ued increases for bowhead, gray whales and North Pacific humpback whales. However, the stocks of northern fur seals have been decreasing and the Cook Inlet beluga whale has been classified as endangered. This sixth edition of Our Living Oceans, is now available online at http:// www.st.nmfs.noaa.gov/LivingOceans.html, and will be available in print soon from the NOAA’s Fisheries Service Office of Science and Technology.

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ered, the protest committee shall make a rea- sonable attempt to notify all boats of the time and place of the hearing and the nature of the request or the grounds for considering re- dress. Before holding the hearing, the com- mittee shall allow reasonable time for boats to make written requests to participate. Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32
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