Goal is to mitigate effects of days-at-sea reduction.
New Bedford Mayor Scott Lang’s Ocean and Fisheries Council has completed a plan proposing strategies to possibly mitigate days at sea reductions in southern New England and to support future advances in fisheries management.
Invited by Mayor Lang, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick attended a meeting of the Ocean and Fisheries Council on April 16, 2009. The Governor listened to the concerns of commercial fishing representatives regarding current federal regulations. The participants expressed distrust in the federal science programs that generate the information being used to manage the fisheries.
It became apparent to the Governor that third-party research could build public confidence in management decisions while adding needed information about our fisheries resources. The audience supported the University of Massachusetts’ School of Marine Science and Technology (SMAST) as the entity to engage in this activity. The University’s relationship with the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries (MADMF) constituting the Massachusetts Marine Fisheries Institute (MFI), provided an apprporiate partnership to address this task.
The resulting plan was a joint effort of the Mayor’s Ocean and Fisheries Council; Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, particularly Paul Diodati and David Pierce; and the School for Marine Science and Technology, particularly Kevin Stokesbury. Steve Cadrin of NOAA Fisheries provided valuable input.
In response to Governor Patrick’s request, the members of the planning team propose partnering with NOAA Fisheries to:
1. Review the SNEMA winter flounder assessment;
2. Describe modifications to the present fishing boundaries that will allow more effective fishing of the Georges Bank stocks;
3. Examine alternative fishing strategies and gear designs to minimize catch of winter flounder while obtaining optimum yield from other stocks;
4. Develop a survey involving fishing vessels including a monitoring program;
5. Design a fishery management and information system to facilitate current and anticipated management.
The complete plan can be downloaded from the Saving Seafood website:
https://www.savingseafood.org/images/documents/regulation/strategies%20to%20mitigate%20the%20das%20reductions%20in%20sne%20final%5B1%5D.pdf