It is observed that stern measure should be taken which would require federal fishery observers on every boat and that no catch be dumped overboard unless it has been sampled by those observers. In the meantime the National Marine Fisheries Service is working on a similar set of regulations, but local fishermen are worried the herring boats could catch a lot of fish that are currently protected in closed areas before that takes effect.
Tom Rudolph, the director of the Cape Cod Commercial Hook Fishermen’s Association’s herring campaign, opined that they could be catching a bunch of haddock in there right now. The owners of 16 Cape vessels, along with hook association director Susan Nickerson, sent the letter to Locke on Sept. 3.
It is informed that the emergency actions would apply only to herring vessels that want to fish in Closed Area I. Along with two other large areas of Georges Bank, Closed Area I was shut down to all fishing in 1994 to protect overfished cod, haddock, flounders and other bottom-feeding species known as groundfish.
Skip King, spokesman for herring vessels in the Sustainable Fisheries Coalition, told that his boats supported full observer coverage because it would show that they are not catching much of any species other than herring. He further said that they will be able to show that their bycatch is low. Until they get the coverage, groups like the hook (association) will be raising unfounded speculations, signs off King.
