EDFish

Oil Spill Exposes the Flaws of Gulf Recreational Fishing Management

By / Bio / Published: May 17, 2010
 httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bni8RT6HgqU

As a massive oil spill and its underwater plumes continue to threaten fisheries in parts of the Gulf, charter captains are in an immediate pinch: their prized red snapper season is about to open on June 1 for just 53 days, but clients are foregoing fishing trips because they are worried about whether it is safe to visit the coast and fish in the Gulf during the oil spill. Offshore fishing outside the closed spill area remains good, and fishing captains are ready to accommodate customers.

But, Captain Gary Jarvis of Destin, Florida, points to an unexpected impact:  “This oil spill exposes the failure of Gulf recreational fisheries management.” 

With so many cancelled trips, and a short government-set red snapper season, charter fishermen are looking for ways to stay afloat. While traveling the Gulf Coast, I heard a lot of ideas for moving around or extending the 53 day red snapper season.

Click here to learn more about the latest oil spill-related fishing closures in the Gulf of Mexico.

“We need a new way to manage our fishery that gives us the flexibility to deal with these kinds of disasters and run stable businesses,” Jarvis said.

Thankfully, they don’t have to look far for a working model.

“In addition to my charter business, I have a small commercial fishing business,” Jarvis explained. “The commercial side of my business is doing fine. For now, I’m not worried about it because the fishery is managed smartly.”

Gulf commercial red snapper fishermen currently fish under a system called “individual fishing quotas” that allows them to harvest a portion of fish throughout the year when it makes most sense for their business, instead of during a set season.  In exchange for this flexibility, each fishermen is held accountable for his harvest.

“Some form of catch share suitable for the for-hire industry needs to be looked into to see if we can be managed with the flexibility needed to stay profitable and keep the public access open for recreational fisheries,” Jarvis said.

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New England Sectors Will Ultimately Serve the Fishermen and the Fisheries Better

By / Bio / Published: May 14, 2010

New England is going through a sea change this month. Fishermen who catch groundfish (cod, haddock, flounder) are shifting away from decades of failed management, which has led to the decline of fish populations and the loss of thousands of jobs. On May 1st, a type of catch share called sectors began for the groundfish fishery.

There are numerous benefits to fishermen who operate under sectors, as compared to traditional fishery management systems, such as a Days-at-Sea program:

  • Now fishermen have the freedom to decide how, when and where to fish.
  • Fishermen can keep a higher percentage of the fish they catch and are no longer legally forced to discard large amounts of economically valuable fish.
  • For the first time in decades, fishermen have the flexibility to create and follow an actual business plan.
  • For the first time, now fishermen can cooperate and time their landings so that they get a higher price for their fish and avoid market gluts.
  • The days of dangerous “derby-style” fishing are over. Fishermen don’t have to race the clock anymore and can develop innovative ways to avoid bycatch and fish more selectively.
  • Under sectors, fishermen are allowed to fish in portions of the Gulf of Maine Rolling Closure Areas and Georges Bank Seasonal Closure Area which were previously completely off limits to them.
  • Under sectors, fishermen no longer have to worry about “cod jail,” when they had to wait out the clock on the other side of the demarcation line to land their fish.

The transition to catch shares, particularly timed with new MSA requirements of annual catch limits and accountability measures will be challenging for many in New England’s fishing industry. Yet catch shares are an improvement from the alternative — the old days-at-sea system –which is broadly agreed to be broken.  This new system of management will take some getting used to but ultimately will serve the fishermen and the fisheries better.

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Oil Spill’s Impacts on Fishing Industry Varies for Inshore and Offshore Businesses

By / Bio / Published: May 13, 2010

The Gulf of Mexico oil spill is threatening inshore and offshore fishing industries, families and ocean life. Its long-term impacts are still unknown.   Here’s the latest:

  • Closed fishing grounds – about 7.3% percent of the Gulf – from the Mississippi River to Pensacola are closed, in addition to many inshore Louisiana waters that support family-run shrimping and oyster businesses.
  • Scientists and volunteers are searching for and helping recover oiled birds and other animals; several have been documented so far.
  • Dispersants, chemicals that break up the oil slick, are being used in the Gulf. They can harm offshore ocean life including fish, their spawning and feeding grounds, and other offshore habitat. 

Concern: Louisiana shrimpers and coast are hard hit

Red snapper and shrimp fisherman James Bruce from Cut Off, La. is concerned about the impacts of the oil spill on the Louisiana coast as it spreads.

James Bruce, a red snapper and shrimp fisherman from Cut Off, Louisiana headed out to catch shrimp earlier this week in the few open inshore shrimping areas in his area. He’s unsure how long the opening will last, but is taking advantage of the opportunity. He told us that very few fishermen are working now. “If the well doesn’t stop, we’re history,” James said. “But if the oil gets into the estuaries, we’re really history.” 

Good news: Large areas of the offshore Gulf are still open for fishing

Despite the uncertainty about stopping the spill and clean-up, there is some good news: Many federal fishing grounds are still open and offshore Gulf charter and commercial fishing is still safe.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRYoQ1wqkes

Some more good news is that demand and prices for commercial fish caught offshore are stable so far, and the fishermen under an individual fishing quota program—one type of catch share management—are able to work around the problem for now.

Fishermen know that this good news could change quickly if the spill isn’t stopped soon.

Unintended consequences of media coverage

We learned last week while visiting the Gulf coast that news stories about the oil spill have hurt fishing businesses located in areas still unaffected by the spill. A few examples include:

  • Last week and this past weekend, we heard that while only a small percent of the Gulf is closed to fishing, charter fishermen told us that they have lost most of their clients for May and trips for coming months have also been cancelled.   
  • On Friday a city leader and seafood business owner in the Florida Panhandle reported that the media has created a “panic,” and that occupancy in some Florida panhandle hotels has dropped from 70 to under 20 percent. 
  • Several folks in Louisiana, Alabama and Florida told us that, regardless of the actual impacts, the general public will be scared to eat Gulf seafood or risk taking a fishing trip.

EDF is working to understand impacts of the spill

EDF is trying to understand the impacts that the oil spill is having on the oceans and fishing industry. We care because a healthy fishing industry and oceans are better able to support healthy fish populations.

Help us out by explaining how the oil spill is affecting you and your business. You can respond with a comment on this blog, or send us an email.

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Offshore Boats Thriving Under New Catch Share Rules in New England; Regional Landings Up 4 Percent 1st Week

By / Published: May 11, 2010

Encouraging news from John Sackton at SeafoodNews.com on the implementation of sectors in New England:

New England fishermen offload

New England fishermen offload

SEAFOOD.COM NEWS by John Sackton – May 11, 2010 – Catch shares have come to New England as of May 1st, and contrary to reports of disaster, landings overall are up across the region.

In the first week of May last year (2009), total landings were 981,000 lbs. This year, landings the first week of May totaled 1,020,000 lbs., an increase of 4%, according to the NMFS weekly New England landing summaries. These figures were calculated by comparing the NMFS Weekly Auction report year to date totals for the week ending April 30th, 2010, and May 7th, 2010.

By using the change in the year to date figures for this single week, it is possible to get NMFS’ figures for landings through the Auction for this week in 2009 and the same week in 2010. Both Gloucester and New Bedford saw higher landings in 2010. For Gloucester, 331,000 lbs of fish went through the auction, vs. 249,000 for the same week in 2009. For New Bedford, 689,000 lbs. went through the auction this year, vs. 490,000 for the same week last year. In percentage terms, Gloucester is up 33%, and New Bedford is up 40.6%. The reason that the regional totals are not higher is that in 2009, there were landings recorded for one day in Boston, but in 2010, no landings were made this week in Boston.

So, whatever else is happening in New England, the fleet is landing more fish. Also, reports from boat owners and the auctions show some spectacular results. For example, Carlos Rafael, the largest fleet owner in New England, runs 29 groundfish boats out of New Bedford.

New Bedford Fisherman

New Bedford Fisherman

Last week, he was crying crocodile tears, saying “I don’t have enough fish” to the New Bedford Standard Times. Actually, Carlos has landing rights to about 12.28 million lbs. of fish, about 9% of the total New England landings. Most of his fleet is believed to be in the Northeast Sector 9, managed by his daughter, which has allocations of 13.8 million lbs, while additional quota could also be in the Northeast sectors 7 and 8, which also have other boats from New Bedford.

What happened to Carlos during the first week of the program: he landed the highest grossing groundfish trip ever in New Bedford. One of his vessels came in with a gross stock of over $179,000 for one trip. The boat landed haddock, cod, yellowtail, dabs, blackback etc., and because the vessel could keep everything it caught of legal size, the efficiency of the vessel skyrocketed.

It is true that at that rate, Carlos may not need all of his 29 vessels, but on the other hand, his business will be much more profitable this year, as he can determine whether to quickly catch his quota in a few months, or to spread out his trips. But in any case, each trip he is now landing under the new system will be bigger and more profitable than under the old system of trip limits and discards.

Read More »

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Face to Face with Gulf Fishermen Impacted by Oil Spill

By / Bio / Published: May 10, 2010

Click the map to see our route along the coast.

Last week, Laura Williamson and I traveled from the Gulf coast fishing towns of Port Fourchon, Louisiana to Destin, Florida to meet with offshore commercial and recreational fishermen, wholesale fish dealers and restaurant owners to learn how the uncontrolled oil spill is impacting businesses and if there are any ways that our organization can help.

The oil slick and measures to control it present real threats, especially for many struggling Louisiana fishermen and their families who are not able to fish inshore right now.  The good news is that most offshore fishing and many coastal areas are not directly impacted by the oil spill so far, but this is mostly missing from media coverage.

Below is a summary of some important things we learned last week. We’ll post fishermen’s stories over the course of the week.

 
 

EDF met with Alabama charter boat operator Ben Fairey, who is concerned about the negative perception that the media is creating about all Gulf fishing. All of his fishing trips in May have been cancelled because of the perceived impacts of the oil spill, even though fishing is still open and safe in Alabama.

Fishermen face uncertainty

Fishing families, wholesalers, and seafood restaurant owners we met with face tremendous uncertainty, not knowing whether the spill will be contained in another week, or many months from now.  Some fishermen are unsure if they should move their boats to a safer location to keep fishing, or stay put to lend a hand to clean the spill or lease their services to crews of scientists and news reporters. Over the long-term, an uncontrolled spill could have many impacts on fish, oysters, shellfish, wetlands that serve as nurseries, and the rest of the food chain.

 
 
 
 
 

Media misses major angle to the story

 

While the threats are real, the sentiment we heard most loudly and clearly was that the negative reports from the media are mostly exaggerated, at least for the current situation, and are driving away tourists and regular offshore fishing clients from areas that are not affected.  There is a lot of exasperation over this. Several folks told us that people will be scared to eat Gulf seafood or risk taking a fishing trip. At the same time, people understand that this might become an “unprecedented disaster,” as it is currently being portrayed, if oil continues spilling for a long time.

Fishing communities want solutions

People told us they want solutions, but recognize that the oil industry has a huge economic impact in many parts of the Gulf.  They believe that the accident should provide lessons-learned for environmental protections and alternative energy.

Solutions for fishing communities: tell us what you think

EDF is working to understand what fishing communities need to get through this hard time.  We’re also interested in improving offshore fishery management to develop sustainable fish populations and fishing practices and businesses that are resilient to natural and man-made disasters. 

EDF has been working in the Gulf for 15 years and this oil spill threatens the fishing communities of the Gulf that have become national leaders in transforming oceans fisheries to models of sustainability.

Help us by explaining how the oil spill is affecting you and your business. You can respond with a comment on this blog, or send us an email.  

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Most Fishing Unaffected By Oil Spill in Gulf So Far

By / Bio / Published: May 8, 2010

The federal government has underscored what many fishermen, wholesalers, and restaurant owners have been telling us – that the oil spill has yet to impact their operations.  While everyone in the Gulf is worried about the impact of the spill, now and into the future, most fishermen across the Gulf spent this week in business-as-usual mode.  The one big exception are many shrimp fishermen in southern Louisiana who are facing severe restrictions.

We’ll have updates starting next week from the Gulf where our staff have been meeting with fishing businesses.  The good news is that seafood is still flowing across the docks and many recreational fishermen who planned to head out on local boats will still be able to go.  Definitely check with your captain before canceling a trip.

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