CHATHAM, Mass., — August 15, 2013 — The Northeast Regional Office of the NOAA Fisheries Service has just granted an Exempted Fishing Permit to the Cape Cod Fisheries Trust, which will allow the use of alternative landing containers and tag protocols to support a high-quality, niche market for Atlantic surfclams (Spisula solidissima) harvested by day-boat vessels on Cape Cod.
Surfclams, locally known as sea clams, provided a significant chunk of income for Cape Cod fishermen back in the day. The Trust is helping make that a reality again. In 2012, in response to requests from the fleet, the Trust bought 31,136 bushels of surfclam quota to lease to local fishermen.
"I urged Paul Parker at the Trust to buy up the surfclam quota when it came on the market," says Tim Linnell, owner-operator of the Chatham fishing vessel, Perry's Pride II. "I remember my dad fishing for surfclams when I was a kid, but by the end of the 90s, there was hardly any quota left on the Cape. This purchase is letting us get back on the clam grounds and will add income to local fishing businesses during a time when we really need it."
It quickly became apparent that operating in the fishery using the standard 32-bushel cages presented significant safety hazards for some of the boats in the fleet and prevented them from accessing local, high-end boutique markets. To address these concerns, the local fleet, the Trust, and the Northeast Regional Office of the fisheries service worked together to develop an exempted fishing permit that would allow fishermen to experiment with different ways of landing surfclams in smaller, one-bushel increments.
"We can't thank NOAA Fisheries Service enough for finding a way to help Cape Cod fishermen diversify back into a historical fishery here," says Trust director, Paul Parker.
Surfclams landed under this permit will be low-volume and high-quality, and should provide access to new market opportunities, such as live and sushi-grade clams.