Letter to John Bullard from Massachusetts Fishermen’s Partnership
November 6, 2014
Mr. John Bullard
Regional Administrator
NOAA Fisheries
Northeast Regional Office
55 Great Republic Drive
Gloucester, MA 01930
Dear Mr.Bullard,
A few members of the Massachusetts Fishermen’s Partnership, Inc.(MFP)attended the New England Fisheries Management Council (NEFMC) meeting on 10/1/14. The members felt that they needed to reach out to the full board of the MFP to inform them of what they heard and what they witnessed during the groundfish presentation portion of the meeting.
On 10/24/14 the Board of Directors of MFP met, and during that meeting the members who attended the NEFMC meeting on 10/1/14 informed the board of the outcome of the NEFMC vote with regards to the Gulf of Maine Cod stock assessment and the NEFMC vote to have NOAA implement an emergency action to protect the Cod stock in the Gulf of Maine. This emergency action may include closures in valuable fishing grounds in the Gulf of Maine where most of the small day fishing fleet fish.
After a lengthy discussion, the MFP Board of Directors who represent 18 Massachusetts Fishing Organizations, agreed to send a letter to you outlining their recommendations and sincere concerns should the above mentioned action be implemented by NOAA.
• The lack of process and transparency that occurred with the latest NOAA GOM cod stock assessment was inexcusable. If NOAA truly seeks to improve the credibility of the science, future assessments at NOAA must never be conducted in this manner.
• NOAA should not implement any emergency regulations in the middle of the 2014-2015 fishing year. Many fishermen have yet to fish their allowed allocations for many groundfish stocks including GOM cod. They’ve made business decisions to fish in the fall of this fishing year hoping to receive a better price for their catch. The fishing year 2014-2015 has brought very hard financialtimeswiththe75%cutintheCodallocation, as well as additional cuts in other groundfish species. Closures recommended for the inshore discriminate against the day boat fleet who will be the only ones unable to catch their allocations.
• Most of the fishermen who fish in the Gulf of Maine fish with boats that are of 50 feet or less in length. These fishing boats cannot fish outside the planned fishing ground closures that NOAA might implement without risking their lives, their crewmen’s lives, their businesses, and this could mean a larger loss to their families and communities. Desperate times make men do desperate things, and we are very worried as to how many lives will be lost if inshore fishing grounds are closed to fishing during the upcoming winter months.
• We also feel very strongly that if NOAA implements these closures in the Gulf of Maine they will be in violation of many of the National Standard that are in the Magnuson–Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act.
• We sincerely hope that you and everyone who will be involved in making this critical decision of implementing an emergency action to protect Cod stock in the Gulf of Maine can take into account that social and economic disaster that will be caused to the lives of the fishermen, their families and their fishing communities.
• For the last 20 years the fishing people of New England, especially Massachusetts, have made many sacrifices and have abided by the rules that have been imposed on them. They have carried the fishing industry to the 21st century, and we ask that you please do not cut off the roots otherwise there is nothing that the industry will grow from.
Thank you for your time and attention to this critical matter.
Sincerely Yours,
Angela Sanfilippo
Executive Director
Massachusetts Fishing Partnership
Cc: Governor Deval Patrick
Senator Elizabeth Warren
Senator Edward Markey
Commissioner Mary Griffon
Paul Diodati, Director of MA
Division of Marine Fisheries