Captain, FV Daddy’s Angels and the passing 1968 wooden herring boat Duchess II. Lower lobster landings and prices along with high bait prices have thrown lobster fishing a curve ball this season. Domestic and export markets have been developed since the last downturn and are expected to support a price recovery. Working out a herring management plan has been slowed by more demands being on the table. Alewives? Peter Ralston photo www.ralstongallery.com
It’s Complicated
Council Seeks to Balance Herring Value as Bait and Forage
by Laurie Schreiber
GLOUCESTER, Mass.—At its September meeting, the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) reviewed various potential impacts of a proposed list of acceptable biological catch (ABC) control rules outlined in Draft Amendment 8 to the Atlantic Herring Fishery Management Plan.
Ultimately, NEFMC declined to pick a “preferred alternative,” and said it would instead wait to hear public comments during future public hearings before deciding on a preference.
Under consideration are nine new control rule alternatives plus the standard “no action.” ABC control rules define how catch or fishing mortality changes with stock size. They are used in setting annual catch limits.
According to the Amendment 8 draft, alternatives to establish a long-term ABC control rule “may explicitly account for herring’s role in the ecosystem and address the biological and ecological requirements of the stock.”
