THESE MAY BE THE SAME BOATS THAT DUMPED THE STRIPERS OFF CHATHAM...EITHER WAY THEY DUMPED 30 THOUSAND POUNDS OF HADDOCK
In October of 2008 a great deal of attention was given to reports of Haddock being found both mixed into shipments of Sea Herring in New Jersey and Maine and reports of massive dumpings of Haddock by Midwater & Pair Trawl vessels in an area regulated as a Groundfish Closed Area off Chatham. The Sea Herring Fleet is allowed in the area because they WERE beleived not to catch groundfish (Cod, Haddock etc etc.
During the first week in October federal observers reported with
77% observer coverage that over 28 thousand pounds of Haddock was caught as by catch, most of it dumped dead at sea.
The observer information for the second week in October was worse. The total catch of Sea Herring doubled from 3.5 million pounds to over 7 million pounds after the observers left the Fleet. This being said, there was clearly a significant by catch event going on during the previous week and the observers left because funding had run out. The public and more importantly fisheries managers will never know if the by catch doubled with the catch.
The observer program found some emergency money and returned to the fleet for the the third week in October with a little over 27% coverage. During this week the total catch of the Fleet dropped. During this final week there was over 2 thousand pounds of Haddock observed as by catch. Many believe the fleet started fishing clean because the observers returned
It is important to note that on 8 separate tows or hauls during the by catch event the fish were pumped to the second boat in the pair trawl (two vessels pulling one huge net) and since the observer was only on one boat nothing was recorded. In addition, the notes clearly state that of the observed tows, 65% contained Haddock by catch.
This week Patricia Kurkul, the Regional Administrator of the National Marine Fisheries Service will tell the New England Fisheries Managment Council if the by catch event violated the 1% by catch cap for Haddock. The problem is that the management plan is vague on how to do the math to determine the 1 %. In at least one scenario, the cap was violated and the fleet could be regulated to avoid this for 2009.
We need to let Ms Kurkul know we have her back and want the Haddock protected...PLEASE SEND THE FOLLOWING E-MAIL AND GET ALL YOUR FRIENDS TO DO THE SAME...SPAM THIS EVERYWHERE...WE NEED E-MAILS FROM ALL STATES ON THE COAST
Send e-mail to with at least the following cut & paste letter:
pat.kurkul@noaa.gov
April 2nd, 2009
Pat Kurkul, Regional Administrator
NMFS, Northeast Regional Office
55 Great Republic Drive
Gloucester, MA 01930
RE: Midwater Trawlers in Groundfish Closed Areas
Dear Ms. Kurkul,
I am a recreational fisherman and am writing today to ask that you rescind access to Closed Ground fish Closed Areas by midwater and pair trawl vessels. Recent analysis of observer data show that in at least one mathematical viewpoint, the 1% threshold outlined in Framework 18 has been met and therefore these boats should not be allowed into those areas.
In order to regain access, these boats should have to do what any other commercial ground fish operation would have to do, that is, apply for an Exempted Fishery Permit with mandatory 100% observer coverage and that coverage should be paid for by the boat requesting the permit and not the government
This is the process that other ground fishermen must follow and I believe out of fairness, so should the midwater and pair trawl boats.
It is time for NMFS to direct the NEFMC to do the right thing and protect the Haddock until the Sea Herring fleet can prove that they can fish in these areas without another serious incident of Haddock ByCatch.
Thanks for your time,
Linear Mode
