Amendment 16, which has been in effect since May 2010, was the result of a three-year public process and was overwhelmingly approved by the New England Fishery Management Council. While some predicted dire revenue losses under the new sector system implemented by Amendment 16, the National Marine Fisheries Service recently reported that all-species gross revenues for the groundfish fleet in the 2010 fishing year–$297.7 million–were $26.6 million more than gross revenues in the 2009 fishing year. Groundfish permit sales, an important indicator of consolidation at an organization level, were extremely low.

“These outcomes show a healthy, adaptive fleet that has diversified to target multiple species beyond groundfish, and that has begun to take advantage of the added flexibility that the sector system in New England provides even in the challenging start-up year,” said Peter Shelley, CLF Senior Counsel. “Amendment 16 is an important step in the right direction for New England and New England’s fishermen. It should be supported in Washington, D.C., and efforts to improve the system should be spearheaded in New England as intended by Congress.”

CLF also issued a set of recommendations for constructive steps forward that will improve the outcomes of Amendment 16 and the sector management system. These recommendations include: