Ecosystem Approach Considers Herring as Prey and Predator
by Laurie Schreiber
Ron Smolowitz, Fishery Survival Fund. “I think there needs to be a lot more work. There are a lot of genetic tools available to determine whether a herring is eating a cod or a haddock egg.” Fishermen’s Voice photo
NEWPORT, R.I. – The New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) has identified the role of Atlantic herring as forage in the ecosystem as a key element to address in NEFMC’s next round of management measures, in the form of Amendment 8 to the Atlantic Herring Fishery Management Plan.
The amendment will also seek to stabilize landings at a level designed to achieve optimum yield, and will address localized depletion in inshore waters.
Because these goals, approved at NEFMC’s June meeting, extend beyond issues initially identified for Amendment 8, NEFMC said it will likely reopen the scoping period to solicit additional comments, and will then revise the timeline for the amendment’s development.
Amendment 8 will also establish a long-term control rule for specifying acceptable biological catch (ABC) for the fishery. The current ABC is considered a placeholder until a long-term ABC can be established.
These considerations come at a time when the stock is in good condition, with fairly stable catches since 1980 and increases of the biomass since 1990. The biomass has been bolstered by three large year classes, in 2008, 2011 and 2013. The 2011 year class is the second largest on record.
According to NEFMC’s Science and Statistical Committee (SSC), the current biomass is likely meeting ecosystem goals; however, meeting the goal is by default and not by design.
During earlier scoping meetings, NEFMC heard from industry interests that supported the concept of managing herring in an ecosystem context, and emphasized food web dynamics and the need to consider the importance of Atlantic herring as forage for tuna, cod, haddock, other groundfish species, whales, striped bass, and bluefish.
At NEFMC’s June meeting, environmentalists and industry interests said they supported the ecosystem management approach in general.
But some said they were concerned about the notion of localized depletion and the potential for new fishing restrictions in inshore waters.
“My main concern is the majority of the herring fishery in Rhode Island is in inshore waters. If that were prohibited we would lose our whole herring industry,” said a representative from North Kingstown, R.I.-based Seafreeze Ltd.
Jerry O’Neill, with Cape SeaFood, Inc., in Gloucester, Mass., agreed. “Our gear type is already restricted in Areas 1A and 1B,” O’Neill said. “Last week we had a week to fish. We had a week last year. This is just another restriction coming down the pike.”
But Patrick Paquette, a recreational fishing advocate from Massachusetts, said the three goals of the amendment work together. “Localized depletion is real,” Paquette said. “It happens, and it costs us lots of money on the back side of Cape Cod….I think this is fair to all stakeholders.”
Ron Smolowitz, with the New Bedford, Mass.-based Fisheries Survival Fund, said that, within the ecosystem-based management context, Atlantic herring should be considered not only as prey, but as predator.
“There’s strong information—it’s older information—that herring have a significant impact on groundfish eggs and larval stages,” Smolowitz said. “I think there needs to be a lot more work. There are a lot of genetic tools available to determine whether a herring is eating a cod or a haddock egg.” The goal would be to determine whether herring, at a certain biomass level, harms the ability of groundfish, especially cod, to rebuild, he said.
According to NEFMC, the good news on the status of Atlantic herring continues. An updated stock assessment, conducted in April, indicated the resource is rebuilt and not overfished.
“Importantly, this has been the case for this critical forage species since the current management program was adopted by the council in 1999,” NEFMC said in a press release.
It’s expected the large 2011 year class will contribute significantly to population abundance for the next three years, NEFMC said.