WASHINGTON (Saving Seafood) Nov. 14, 2012 — New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell, representing the nation's most profitable fishing port, appeared before the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) in Newport, Rhode Island this morning, and delivered a letter making the following points:
The international organization responsible for setting fisheries limits for species shared between the US and Canada recommended a total 500 metric ton Georges Bank yellowtail flounder quota for the 2013 fishing year. This 500 metric ton quota is to be split between the U.S. and Canada, resulting in allocations of 215 and 285 metric tons, respectively. This would be a 57% reduction from 2012, when the quota was 1,150 metric tons, and a staggering 81% reduction from 2011, when the total quota was 2,650 metric tons. A reduction of this magnitude would cause hundreds, if not thousands, of jobs to disappear and would trigger severe economic and social dislocation.
Such devastating consequences would be difficult to accept if the science was certain, but they are impossible to accept given the widespread lack of confidence in the underlying assessment and the fact that the international organization did not follow its own protocols in formulating its catch recommendations.
The methods used in the 2012 assessment were exploratory in nature, have not been vetted, and the international organization's report itself acknowledges that the fixes to the retrospective pattern cannot "be explained by biology or fishery practices." Nonetheless, they relied on these fixes to develop recommendation that the 2013 quota be set at a 500 metric tons.
At its August 24, 2012 meeting, the NEFMC's Scientific and Statistical Committee acknowledged both the uncertainty in the TRAC assessment and the catastrophic human consequences that would unquestionably flow from a low yellowtail quota. As a result, the SSC ultimately included in its report a recommendation that the 2013 yellowtail quota remain at 1,150 metric tons, but that the fishery be converted to bycatch only.
While there might not be scientific certainty about the current status of Georges Bank yellowtail flounder, there is certainty that the international organization did not follow its own protocols in developing its yellowtail quota recommendation and that its fixes to the yellowtail assessment are not scientifically defensible.
The mayor urged the Council instead to adopt its own Scientific and Statistical Committee's recommendation that the total Acceptable Biological Catch be set at 1,150 metric tons, with the removal of a directed fishery.
If you believe that the U.S.-Canada Resource Sharing Understanding precludes the Council from adopting the Scientific and Statistical Committee's recommendation, the mayor asked that the Council request that the U.S. representatives to the U.S.-Canada Steering Committee approach Canada about reconsidering the yellowtail quota for 2013.
The full text of the mayor's letter follows:
November 14, 2012
New England Fishery Management Council
50 Water Street, Mill 2
Newburyport, MA 01950
Dear Members of the New England Fishery Management Council:
As mayor of New Bedford, Massachusetts, I write to express my concern about the proposed U.S. Georges Bank yellowtail flounder ("yellowtail") quota of 215 metric tons for the 2013 fishing year and urge you instead to adopt the Scientific and Statistical Committee ("SSC")'s recommendation that the total Acceptable Biological Catch ("ABC") be set at 1,150 metric tons, with the removal of a directed fishery. If you believe that the U.S.-Canada Resource Sharing Understanding precludes you from adopting the SSC's recommendation, I ask that you request that the U.S. representatives to the U.S.-Canada Steering Committee approach Canada about reconsidering the yellowtail quota for 2013.
As you know, Georges Bank yellowtail flounder is highly important to New Bedford, which was recently named the nation's highest grossing fishing port for the twelfth year in a row. New Bedford's yearly groundfish landings are worth approximately $20 million, and its scallop industry, for which yellowtail is essential bycatch, brings in approximately $400 million in direct annual revenue. Taking into account the two fisheries' ancillary businesses, they generate nearly $1.3 billion in annual economic activity in the Greater New Bedford area.
Based on the Transboundary Resource Assessment Committee ("TRAC")'s yellowtail assessment, the Transboundary Management Guidance Committee ("TMGC") recommended a total 500 metric ton yellowtail quota for the 2013 fishing year. This 500 metric ton quota is to be split between the U.S. and Canada, resulting in allocations of 215 and 285 metric tons, respectively. This would be a 57% reduction from 2012, when the quota was 1,150 metric tons, and a staggering 81% reduction from 2011, when the total quota was 2,650 metric tons. A reduction of this magnitude would cause hundreds, if not thousands, of New Bedford jobs to disappear and would trigger severe economic and social dislocation.
Such devastating consequences would be difficult to accept if the science was certain, but they are impossible to accept given the widespread lack of confidence in the underlying TRAC assessment and the fact that the TRAC did not follow its own protocols in formulating its catch recommendations. It is my understanding that the TRAC's accepted benchmark methods would support catch limits for the 2013 fishing year of 800 metric tons to 3,000 metric tons to avoid overfishing, and of 1,700 to 1,800 metric tons to allow rebuilding. These ranges are substantially higher than 500 metric tons.
Because the TRAC's benchmark methods demonstrated retrospective patterns, however, the TRAC implemented "fixes" that assumed that recent catch has been five times greater than reported catch, or that natural mortality abruptly increased by a factor of five in 2005. The methods used in the 2012 TRAC assessment were exploratory in nature and have not been vetted through the TRAC's own benchmark review process, and the TRAC report itself acknowledges that the fixes to the retrospective pattern cannot "be explained by biology or fishery practices."
Nonetheless, the TRAC ultimately relied on these fixes to develop its recommendation that the 2013 quota be set at a much lower 500 metric tons. In short, the proposed 500 metric ton quota would inflict broad, irreparable damage on the fishing industry based what one could hardly claim is the best available science.
At its August 24, 2012 meeting, the SSC acknowledged both the uncertainty in the TRAC assessment and the catastrophic human consequences that would unquestionably flow from a low yellowtail quota. As a result, the SSC ultimately included in its report a recommendation that the 2013 yellowtail quota remain at 1,150 metric tons, but that the fishery be converted to bycatch only. The SSC's rationale was that if the actual catch exceeded 500 metric tons when there was no directed fishery and measures were taken to reduce bycatch as much as possible, "it would be de facto evidence that the uncertainty in [the] stock assessment is greater than described by the sensitivity analyses conducted in the TRAC."
I strongly urge you to adopt the SSC's recommendation. Maintaining a quota of 1,150 metric tons for the 2013 fishing year would prevent the tremendous human suffering that would result from a 215 metric ton quota, while giving U.S. and Canadian scientists time to attempt to resolve the uncertainty in the yellowtail assessment. I can attest that Massachusetts scientists stand ready to improve the assessment; among other steps, the Massachusetts Marine Fisheries Institute has proposed both an end-to-end stock assessment review and a cooperative yellowtail research survey. If you believe that the United States must renegotiate with Canada in order to recommend a 2013 yellowtail quota that exceeds 500 metric tons, I ask that you move to request that the U.S. representatives to the U.S./Canada Steering Committee approach Canada about reconsidering the 2013 quota.
While there might not be scientific certainty about the current status of Georges Bank yellowtail flounder, there is certainty that the TRAC did not follow its own protocols in developing its yellowtail quota recommendation and that its fixes to the yellowtail assessment are not scientifically defensible. Given the equally certain ruinous consequences of a 500 metric ton quota, the only responsible course of action is to discuss with Canada the possibility of increasing the quota while the science is reviewed in a rigorous manner.
Sincerely,
Jon Mitchell
Mayor
Read a PDF of the letter here
Listen to Mayor Mitchell's comments before the NEFMC