Days Out Set for
2011 Atlantic Herring Season

by Dennis Damon

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, Atlantic Herring Section met in Portsmouth, New Hampshire on Thursday, May 12, 2011 and set the “Days Out” for the upcoming Atlantic Herring fishery in Area 1A of the Gulf of Maine.

Maine fisheries biologist, Dr. Matt Cieri, presented the Section with an historical look at the herring landings for the past five years. He also reminded the Section that the ASMFC Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Herring allows a total catch in 2011 of 26,546 metric tons. The FMP also dictates that 72.8% of the catch can be taken during the period from June through September and the remaining 27.2% can be taken from October through December. Dr. Cieri then presented ten scenarios that were developed from two different computer models. The first model run was developed using the historical average landings including the anomaly of last year’s catch. The second model used landings data that minimized the effect of last year’s catch.

Section Chairman, Hon. Dennis Abbott, took comments from the Section members present and then from members of the public.

The New Hampshire delegation urged the Section to create a season that would allow small mesh bottom trawlers the opportunity to fish at least three days a week starting in the middle of July. They suggested that the season open on July 1, 2011 with fishing permitted two days per week. Three days fishing per week would begin on July 15, 2011. A meeting of the Section would be scheduled in August to determine if adjustments should be made to the days out.

The Maine delegation, citing the need for lobster bait early on as well as the more important need to have bait in the late summer and fall lobster fishery, suggested the season open on June 1, 2001 with fishing allowed two days per week and that the landings be reviewed by the Section at the end of June to see if the days out needed to be adjusted.

Because the ASMFC FMP for Atlantic Herring requires the Section to come to unanimous consensus on its decisions regarding the fishing season, Chairman Abbott directed the member states, Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts, to caucus in an effort to arrive at an acceptable compromise.

The final proposal that received unanimous consent from the Section states:

• Starting June 6, 2011 herring may be landed 2 days per week

• On the morning of June 24, 2011 the Atlantic Herring Section will meet to review the catch data with the express goal of establishing 3 landing days per week starting July 18, 2011. [NOTE: Depending on the landing data reviewed at that meeting, the days out from that date until July 18, 2011 may remain at two per week, they may be reduced to one or zero per week, or they may be increased per week.]

• If the Section cannot come to unanimous agreement on what action to take at the June 24th meeting, the mandatory default position will be that there will be zero landing days between June 25, 2011 and July 17, 2011

• Starting July 18, 2011 3 landing days per week will be allowed for all vessels (including small mesh bottom trawlers).