A decision made by the New England Fishery Management Council, Jan. 31, to severely reduce quotas for the cod fisheries, could drive Maine groundfishermen out of business.
That was the opinion expressed by Glen Libby, president of the Midcoast Fishermen’s Coop and Port Clyde Fresh Catch.
Libby, who served on NEFMC between 2009-2012, said the new rules call for fishermen to pay part of the cost of the observers who monitor the catch at sea
“Basically they shut down fishing,” Libby said Jan. 31. “If you’re out for four days an extra thousand dollars is pretty much all your profit.” He said the observer program is necessary, “but it’s got be completely overhauled and costs have to be reduced.”
The fee for observers is added to NEFMC cuts made on the limit for Gulf of Maine cod of 77 percent and the limit for Georges Bank cod of 61 percent. Other recent cuts have targeted haddock, flounder and other bottom-dwelling groundfish fisheries with cuts ranging from 10 to 71 percent.
If supported by federal regulators, the cuts would take effect May 1.
While the limits were set for cod, they will have the effect of further limiting haddock and pollock fishing, since the species all end up in the same nets, Libby said.
Projected revenues could be cut by 33 percent, from about $90 million in 2011 to about $60 million in 2013, according to news stories that appeared after the decision.
Fallout from the cuts would also be felt in processing and other related industries
“It’s real stupid to charge fishermen something they can’t afford and expect them to pay it,” Libby said. He said larger boats might be able to meet the added cost, but smaller operations would be devastated.
“The cuts in quota and the diminished opportunity to access healthy stock is going to be a real killer,” Libby said. “Maybe we should send people out to catch dogfish, squid, skates and redfish. There’s plenty of those and there’s a market for them.”
The Lincoln County News will continue to follow this story.
