Dr. Costa-Pierce, a professor of fisheries at the University of Rhode Island and director of Rhode Island Sea Grant, explained that the new management tool creates sectors or groups of fishermen with particular share of fishing quotas fixed by regulators. Each sector has the authority to design its own plan detailing how it will manage and catch its share of fish.
There are fishermen who welcome the new management tool that help them to get rid of financial hardship while failing to rebuild fish stocks. But others hesitate to move to a new management system.
Addressing the meeting Dr. Barry Costa-Pierce said that sectors would help the fishermen to catch their quotas without any hassle. The two-day workshop was organized to educate stakeholders about the benefits and drawbacks of sector allocation.
The New England Fishery Management Council has received sector proposals from 17 fishing groups and pushing forward with its development sectors for fishing industry. According to Jackie Odell, executive director of the Northeast Seafood Coalition, the sector allocation will have significant impact on groundfishermen.
But Fairhaven boat owner Harriet Didriksen fears that this division of sector would threaten to consolidate the industry and eliminate fishing jobs. She informed that sectors are not the answer what the industry need is good science and effective management. However, the president of the Rhode Island Fishermen’s Association, Chris Brown praised the sector management, as it would be a relief from the current management policies that failed to achieve the results that they were supposed to.
Eric Brazer, fisheries policy and management coordinator for the Cape Cod Commercial Hook Fishermen’s Association, appreciated the new management tool, saying that the sectors will work only though the continued collaboration of industry, management, science and the support of general public.
