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Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission News
The agenda for this four day meeting included sessions that dealt with several fish species; Weakfish, American Lobster, Summer Flounder, Scup, Black Sea Bass, Winter Flounder, American Eel, Atlantic Menhaden, Spiny Dogfish, Coastal Sharks, and Atlantic Striped Bass. Additionally, there were meetings of the Habitat Committee, ISFMP, Policy Board and the Atlantic Coastal Cooperative Statistics Program Coordinating Council. Admittedly some of the species discussed seem to have little relevance to us here in Maine. When was the last time you fished for Weakfish, Scup or Black Sea Bass? Others, such as the American Lobster, have tremendous importance to us. And then there are those fisheries that we might pursue but without the same zeal as we do the lobster, and thus they seem not to be as important. The American Eel, Atlantic Menhaden and Spiny Dogfish come to mind as those we might fish occasionally. The American Eel is disappearing at alarming rates from much of its inland lake and river habitat. The drop in eel population is so dramatic in some areas of the east coast and Canada that there has even been talk of limiting fishing for eels, of restricting hours of operation for hydro-electric turbines in power dams and of declaring them endangered. So what, they’re only eels! Tell that to the fishermen who pursue the elvers. Tell that to the other fish that depend on them as a food source. Tell that to the inland weir fishermen who catch them to sell overseas. Eels are important. The Spiny Dogfish, often referred to in unprintable language by those who fish for everything from long-lined groundfish, to trawled groundfish, to herring, are also viewed to be declining. Of course there are always the anecdotal stories of instances where the dogs are so thick you can’t get a hook to bottom, but overall the evidence seems to point to a decline in the biomass (total stock) and in the mature females (needed to reproduce). Given that the age to maturity is longer in a Dogfish than it is in say a Haddock or Cod, and given that the young are born alive and in a significantly smaller litter than the thousands of Cod or Haddock eggs, it is reasonable to be concerned about the Dogfish population. The economic importance of the dogs may not match that of the Lobster or the Cod, but in the overall scheme of things — Dogfish are important. And lastly, there are the Menhaden. More often called “Pogies” here in Maine, they once provided a robust seine fishery that rivaled herring. The Pogies were a great source of oil. Their oil and fat content were suitable for extraction. Ground-up fish were cooked in big kettles (try-pots) much the same way that whale blubber was and the resultant oil was valuable. That was all before my time and it is legend now. But the names remain. “Try-House Point”, “Fish House Point” and “Try-Kettle Cove” are still here even though the reasons for their names have long since gone. The last harvest of Menhaden I can recall here was in the 1980’s. They arrived in schools so large that they often came ashore literally driving themselves up on the beach. Some said it was the bluefish driving them. Some said it was a change in the Gulf Stream that brought them here again. Whatever the reason, they came and seemed to keep coming endlessly, being caught in purse seines, being sold to Russian processing ships and causing great hub-bub when they smothered in shallow bays and estuaries and stank to high heaven. Then, as quickly as they came they left. Menhaden are still being fished though in areas to the south of here. The Chesapeake Bay is the primary breeding area and nursery for Menhaden on the east coast. It is in that area where the greatest catches occur. The primary commercial harvester of Menhaden on the east coast is a company called Omega Protein. They have developed a process whereby they extract the omega 3 fatty acids from the Pogies and use the remainder of the fish to process for meal. There is considerable good health benefit derived from omega 3 fatty acids when used in human consumption. It has been shown to provide beneficial effects on cardio-vascular health for example. The company’s process in rendering this valuable product is effective and profitable. So, what’s the problem? The problem is that Pogies, like herring, are near the bottom of the ocean’s food chain. They provide much of the food for those above them in the pecking order, including Striped Bass. If these stocks are radically disturbed the fish that depend on them for their food will be affected. Striped Bass catchers are expressing concern over decreasing stocks of bass in the Chesapeake Bay. Their alarm has lead to alarm by other groups, Greenpeace included. Attempts have been made to draw attention to what some would call the Pogy over-harvesting. Radical attempts have even had people in inflatable boats trying to stop the purse seining operations conducted by Omega Protein fishing vessels. The ASMFC, whose mission states, “Working towards healthy, self-sustaining populations for all Atlantic coast fish species or successful restoration well in progress by the year 2015”, is responsible for Menhaden. So, at the Atlantic Menhaden Management Board meeting after public comment, after the Technical Committee report, after an update on NOAA Menhaden Research, after public comment on Draft Addendum II and after the Advisory Panel Report, a motion was made. Consistent with Omega Protein’s view, this first motion set the annual reduction harvest of Menhaden in Chesapeake Bay at 131,000 metric tons (mt). However, partly because the most commissioners recognized that the five year average annual harvest has been just under 106,000 mt and partly because the motion called for a voluntary industry cap rather than a mandatory cap, the motion failed on a vote of 10-6-1 (one abstaining). Subsequently, a motion was made that passed 12-2-3. This second motion called for a mandatory five year cap on the Menhaden reduction harvest at the mean average annual landings for the past five years, roughly 106,000 mt. By this action the ASMFC said to all involved that the Atlantic Menhaden, the lowly Pogy, is important too! Senator Dennis Damon represents District #28 in the Maine Senate. He is the Senate Chair of the Transportation Committee and the Marine Resources Committee and the Legislative appointee to the ASMFC. He can be reached at 667-9629 or dsdamon@panax.com. |
