Among the dozens of tasks that need to be completed before a lobster is landed. This is just one of many trap moves. Fishermen are saying they don't see how mandatory reporting is going to do more than the information they already provide. But, they do see it as another detailed task added to the already deep pile. Photo: Fishermen's Voice |
Maine lobstermen have been steadfast over the years in rejecting mandatory reporting. But the ASMFC wants Maine to align itself with the other Atlantic States that fish for lobster and use mandatory reporting systems.
Maine lobstermen have argued they already report enough information. Many fishermen think the kind of information they will be required to report under the proposed system runs counter to their traditional rights to privacy over where, when and how much they catch. Others have said they are being forced to labor without compensation.
On the other side of the equation, scientists who have been studying the lobster fishery, see the need for more data as essential to gaining a better understanding of the resource. While fishing has generally been good for several years, some scientists have pointed out weak spots in the system and gray areas in their understanding of the health of the lobster resource. Better data, they think, will help them correct this shortfall. Scientists reason that an unforeseen threat to the resource may be more effectively dealt with if a better database is in place.
Hearings
During end of November and the first week of December the last public hearings for comment will be held. Public comment is encouraged by lobstermen’s associations, the ASMFC and the DMR. Meeting dates and places are listed below. If unable to attend, comments can be sent to contacts below.
A deadline of December 15, 2006, 5PM (EST) has been set for submission of public comment and industry input. A decision on what the new regulations for reporting landings will look like is set for early next year. Comments may be submitted by mail, email, or fax. Questions and comments can be submitted using the following contact information.
Mail: Toni Kerns, Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, 1444 “Eye” Street, Northwest #600, Washington, D.C. 20005
E-mail: tkerns@asmfc.org
Phone: 202-289-6400
Fax: 202-289-6051
On the other side of the equation managers, in response to the scientists who have been studying the lobster fishery, see the need for more and better data as essential to gaining a better understanding of the resource. While fishing has generally been good for several years, some scientists have pointed out weak areas in the system and gray areas in their understanding of the health of the lobster fishery. Better data, they think, will help them change this shortfall.
In particular, Maine DMR biologist Carl Wilson pointed out last year that “a favorable marine environment, good water temperature, decreased predation and increased stewardship among lobstermen” are a few of the reasons the Gulf of Maine is doing well. However, he said he considered this, in a sense, “happenstance” rather than a result of “considered action”. Wilson also referred to the use of data to support new models that are more useful for estimating abundance. The public meetings will be looking at the following three options for a mandatory reporting system.
The following options have been reproduced from the ASMFC Public Comment Draft of Addendum X To Amendment 3 To The American Lobster Fishery Management Plan. The three options are presented in full.
4.0 Management Options
4.1 Option 1: Status Quo:
Under current management, states are only required to States will be required to implement the following reporting program by January 1, 2008.
Minimum Standards:
1. Require states to collect at a minimum, catch (pounds) and effort data summarized monthly by NMFS statistical areas and LCMA in an annual recall log format from each permit holder.
a. Effort data includes: trap hauls, set-over days, number of trips, total traps set, and average number of traps fished per trip.
2. Require each state to collect trip-level catch and effort reports either as a census or a sample for at least 10% of its lobster fishery (statistically valid at a percent of error determined by the TC in)
3. Require all dealers involved with primary purchases (first point of sale) to report landings weights (pounds) of lobster on a trip level basis
4. Permit holder should be linked to federal vessel and individual permit/license level reporting for lobsters using ACCSP protocol (http://www
.accsp.org/cfstandards.htm)
5. ACCSP would hold this information.
Fishery-Dependent Data
1. At-sea sampling program:
Biological characteristics:
a. Collect information to characterize the commercial catch: length, sex, v-notched, egg bearing status, legal-size discards, and cull status
b. Weight sampling intensity by areas and season to match 3-year average of area’s seasonal commercial catch.
c. Fishery Effort: fishing location, total trawls, or traps sampled.
2. Port sampling Program:
Biological characteristics:
a. Collect information to characterize commercial landings: length, sex, cull status, and market category
b. Set minimum number to be sampled per unit landings by area and season
c. Fishery Effort: fishing location, set time, traps per trawl and/or total trawls sampled.
Sufficient at-sea sampling can replace port sampling.
4.2 Option 2: Coastwide mandatory reporting and data collection program
This option would replace section 4.0 Monitoring and Reporting of Amendment 3 to the American Lobster Federal Management Plan.
Dealer and Harvester Reporting
1. Two-ticket system (check and a balance): dealer and harvester landings information (trip level reporting). Harvester reports trip data and catch estimates (in pounds) and dealer reports landing weights (in pounds).
a. Harvester reports include: a unique trip id (link to dealer report), vessel number, trip start date, location (NMFS stat area), traps hauled, traps set, quantity (lbs), trip length
b. Dealer reports include: unique trip id (link to harvester report), species, quantity (lbs), state and port of landing, market grade and category, areas fished and hours fished
A one-ticket system can also be used to collect the above information. In a one-ticket system, both dealer and fisherman report different data on a single form.
2. Harvesters and dealers would be required to report standardized data elements for each trip by the tenth of the following month.
3. Permit holder should be linked to federal vessel or individual permit/license level reporting for lobsters using ACCSP protocol (http://www.accsp.org/cfstandards.htm
4. ACCSP would hold this information.
At-sea sampling program: Same as for OPTION 1
Port sampling Program: same as for OPTION 1
4.3 Option 3: Expanded coastwide mandatory reporting and data collection program.
This option would replace section 4.0 Monitoring and Reporting of Amendment 3 to the American Lobster Federal Management Plan.
Dealer and Harvester Reporting
1. Two-ticket system (check and a balance): dealer and harvester landings information (trip level reporting). Harvester reports trip data and catch estimates (in pounds) and dealer reports landing weights (in pounds).
a. Harvester reports include: a unique trip id (link to dealer report), vessel number, trip start date, location (NMFS stat area), traps hauled, traps set, quantity (lbs), trip length
b. Dealer reports include: unique trip id (link to harvester report), species, quantity (lbs), state and port of landing, market grade and category, areas fished and hours fished
A one-ticket system can also be used to collect the above information. In a one-ticket system, both dealer and fisherman report different data on a single form.
2. Harvesters and dealers would be required to report standardized data elements for each trip by the tenth of the following month.
3. Permit holder should be linked to federal vessel or individual permit/license level reporting for lobsters using ACCSP protocol (http://www.accsp.org/cfstandards.htm
4. ACCSP would hold this information.
At-sea sampling program: Same as for OPTIONS 1 & 2
Port sampling Program: Same as for OPTIONS 1 & 2
Fishery Independent Data
a. All statistical areas should be sampled by at least one of the following: annual trawl survey (seasonally standardized), ventless trap survey, and a young-of- year survey.
These surveys should be based on cooperative work between states for inshore and offshore characterization of the stock units.
MEETING DATES
Washington, DC – The Commission’s American Lobster Management Board approved sending forward for public comment Draft Addendum X to Amendment 3 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for American Lobster. Maine, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island have scheduled their public hearings to gather comment on the Draft Addendum. The dates, times and locations of the scheduled meetings follow:
Maine Department of Marine Resources
November 27, 2006; 6:00 PM
University of Maine at Machias
Science Building, Room 102
9 O’Brien Ave., Machias, Maine
Contact: Terry Stockwell at (207)624-6562
November 28, 2006; 6:00 PM
Rockland City Hall
Council Chambers
270 Pleasant Street, Rockland, Maine
Contact: Terry Stockwell at (207)624-6562
November 29, 2006; 6:00 PM
Ellsworth City Hall
Council Chambers
1 City Hall Plaza, Ellsworth, Maine
Contact: Terry Stockwell at (207)624-6562
Eastland Park Hotel
November 30, 2006; 6:00 PM
Longfellow Room A
157 High Street
Portland, Maine
Contact: Terry Stockwell at (207)624-6562
Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries
November 29, 2006
6:00 – 9:00 PM
Holiday Inn
55 Ariadne, US 1A & I 95/128
Dedham, Massachusetts
Contact: Melanie Griffin at (617)626-1528
Rhode Island Division of Fish and Wildlife
December 6, 2006; 6:00 PM
URI Narragansett Bay Campus
Corless Auditorium
South Ferry Road
Narragansett, Rhode Island
Contact: Tom Angel at
(401)423-1931
The Draft Addendum proposes the establishment of a landings data collection program that is consistent with the standards of the Atlantic Coastal Cooperative Statistics Program and responds to the recommendations of the 2005 Lobster Stock Assessment and Peer Review Advisory Report.
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