Groundfish Allocation: We need to get it right the first time.

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Recreational Groundfish Allocation: We need to get it right the first time
By Michael Flaherty
TideWise.Com - August 2008

Most folks probably don't realize it, but there is not a formal allocation of groundfish between the commercial and recreational sectors. In short, we pretty much end up with the crumbs left over from the commercial sector. With Gulf of Maine Cod, for example, in the years between 1996 and 2006 recreational harvest amounted to an average of about 26%. However, if you focus on the most current trends, then you will find that recreational harvest averaged 35% between 2001 and 2006. While that is a remarkable gain, there is nothing in place to prevent losing that gain and ending up with much less in the future.

On May 20th the NEFMC Recreational Advisory Panel (RAP) met in Peabody Massachusetts to provide recommendations for Amendment 16 to the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan (groundfish). One of the items contained in Amendment 16 is the matter of a formal allocation for groundfish. Like all NEFMC advisory meetings, this one was open to the public. Unfortunately, only four folks were present in the audience; an environmentalist, two party/charter operators, and myself.

This was disappointing to say the least because if the recreational community is not involved during this process, then the face of the recreational groundfishery in New England stands to change dramatically and permanently. More importantly by the time folks realize what has happened it will be far too late. Frank Blount, the owner of the party/charter Frances Fleet in Rhode Island stressed this by using the already established summer flounder allocation as an example, “It is going to be very very hard to change these numbers once they go in. I'll tell you that right now. The fluke [allocation], everyone thinks it is wrong, but the number hasn't changed.”

For an idea of what is at stake, consider this. There has been much discussion at the Council of using the years 1996-2006 to base the allocation on. However, if that goes through as-is then it could result in upwards of a 60% reduction in the amount of haddock recreational fishermen are allowed to keep.

Look at it this way. Presently recreational harvest of haddock is around 41%. However, if we accepted the baseline being offered for a haddock allocation, then those years would be averaged and we would be looking at a paltry 16.8% allocation of haddock. Naturally, that would leave the commercial sector with the remaining 83.2%.

The good news is that there are certainly good reasons for choosing the more recent years to base a haddock allocation on. They better reflect the current proportions being caught by both sectors. In addition, some of the earlier years should be avoided because at times recreational measures actually raised the haddock minimum size at a time when commercial measures were being relaxed.

As conservation-minded anglers, we tend to accept reductions when necessary. However when it comes to a assigning a proper share of the resource for the fishing public, now is not the time to be modest. It is important to realize that whatever percentages are decided on for a recreational and commercial allocation, it will have no bearing on conservation because they will simply be slices of the same predetermined sustainable pie.

In order to preserve public access to this fishery that is a symbol of New England, the recreational community must be engaged in the process. The good news is that it is not too late. In the coming months you can expect to see more attention given to this topic as the Council adopts their preferred alternatives for Amendment 16. Shortly after that, they will solicit public comment at hearings that will be held in all coastal New England states (and probably some Mid Atlantic states). These meetings are usually held at night so that the general public, many of whom work during the day, can make it to them. I urge anyone interested to attend, get informed, and share your thoughts with the folks who manage your fishery. Bring a friend or two. Let’s make sure we get it right the first time.