Issues and Solutions

New Strategies for rebuilding fish stocks

by Peter Baker, Manager of the New England Fisheries Campaign

As the saying goes, New England was built on the back of the iconic Atlantic cod. The bountiful waters off these shores, such as Georges Bank and the Gulf of Maine, attracted fishermen who caught vast loads of cod and other bottom-dwelling fish including halibut, haddock, and flounder. A fleet of thousands grew all along the coast from Eastport, Maine to Montauk, Long Island; and cod became a mainstay of the New England economy. As has been well chronicled, however, the mighty codfish populations have collapsed, taking many of our fishing communities with them.

There are new strategies in New England that offer solutions for rebuilding the cod stocks and saving our traditional fishing fleet. These strategies are being developed from the ground up by forward-thinking commercial fishermen determined to avoid mistakes of the past and advocate change in three major categories: (1) management; (2) marketing; and (3) techniques.

Management: Cape Cod Commercial Hook Fishermen's Association and the Sector Allocation Model

The Cape Cod Commercial Hook Fishermen's Association (CCCHFA), an organization of commercial cod fishermen who fish with hook and line, pioneered development of an innovative fishing model called "sector allocation." Under this system, groups of fishermen at the local level form a community-based cooperative. The co-op, known as a sector, is allocated a quantity of fish to catch, based on the percentage of fish its members have caught in the past.

By forming sectors, vessel owners agree to stay within their share of the scientifically based annual catch limit for each species. Knowing their allocation in advance helps individual sectors and members plan fishing and business models that allow them to be profitable without overfishing stocks. Sectors bring fishermen together to make decisions at the community level, providing them incentives to safeguard the desired outcomes of profitable businesses—and healthy fish stocks.

This pilot program was a success and 17 new sectors will be launched on May 1, 2010, the first day of the fishing year for the New England groundfish fleet. These boats target cod, haddock, flounder, and other bottom-dwelling fish. The vast majority of active fishermen who have been making their living by fishing for so-called groundfish have signed up to join sectors. These fishermen have landed more than 90% of the catch over the last 10 years. Many in the industry are convinced that this will provide more stability than the old management system, which for 15 years produced steadily more restrictive limits on how, where, when, and with what size mesh fishermen could fish.

Most importantly to all, the new system must end overfishing and allow the once bountiful fish to rebuild their stocks.

Marketing: Midcoast Fishermen's Association and the Community Supported Fishery Model

The Midcoast Fishermen's Association (MFA), based in Port Clyde, Maine, is a multigenerational group of fishermen with small- to medium-sized fishing vessels. The fleet at Port Clyde is the only remaining groundfish fleet north and east of Portland, Maine. Times have been hard in Port Clyde given the ever-tightening fishing restrictions, coupled with the vast reduction of fish populations in their traditional inshore Gulf of Maine waters.

In response, the fishermen of Port Clyde created a brand for their fish called Port Clyde Fresh Catch, which sells to restaurants and consumers. To get fish directly to local customers, they developed the nation's first community-supported fishery—based on the community-supported agriculture model—in which participants buy a share of the catch for a specific amount of time and then receive a percentage of the catch each week. To enhance their direct sales, the Port Clyde fishermen designed, built, and now operate a small processing facility to filet, package, and distribute fresh fish. The fish they sell directly to restaurants and consumers brings them a higher price than the fish they sell at auction.

As MFA chair Glen Libby says, "The idea is to make more money off less fish so the stocks can rebuild and we can stay in business."

Techniques: Changing How Fish Are Caught

A third approach to fixing New England's fisheries looks at the impacts of fishing techniques and how to target healthy fish stocks without overfishing stocks that are rebuilding. Fishermen along the coast have experimented with techniques that will target one species of fish while excluding others.

The MFA fishermen evaluated their gear configurations to see if they could cut down on their unintended bycatch—caught fish that are either not the correct species or size to keep. Working with gear specialists and underwater cameras and sensors, they deployed nets with square mesh rather than diamond mesh, and incidentally caught fish decreased significantly. They are using this information to create fishing gear that reduces bycatch, something that is good for the fishermen and good for the fish.

The CCCHFA has also conducted significant cooperative research. The hook fishermen believed that an area closed to groundfishing due to concerns about cod held an abundance of haddock. Its fishermen received an Experimental Fishery Permit to test their theory. By using certain types of bait, such as herring or manmade "Norbait," they could catch haddock, the abundant stock, while minimizing the catch of cod, the weak stock that was being protected. By running extensive trials with independent data collectors onboard, the hook fishermen showed that they could catch haddock in great abundance without hurting cod populations. This work allowed the Hook Sector to receive a six-week window each fall when only they are allowed to fish with hook and line in this closed area.

The best way to help New England's fisheries recover is a threefold path. First, moving to sector management gives fishermen the flexibility to catch and market their fish to maximize their revenue, while adhering to strict catch limits that allow fish populations to rebuild. Second, by having the stability of sectors, fishing organizations can develop new markets so they can catch less fish for more money. Finally, innovative techniques that allow selective fishing between weak stocks and strong stocks will help manage the rebuilding of a complex fish ecosystem more effectively.

There is much work being done in New England. The future of projects such as these will be critical to the near future of New England's centuries-old groundfish fleet and the fish they rely upon.

Originally written for ABC-CLIO's United States Geography database

Baker, Peter. "New Strategies for rebuilding fish stocks." United States Geography. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 12 Jan. 2010. <http://www.usgeography.abc-clio.com>.