Correspondence (December 3-5, 2019) M 1. #12a Advanc ing Byc atc h R educ tion T ec hnology in New E ngland Small Mesh Multispec ies F isher ies Outr eac h and T ec hnology T r ansfer of the L ar ge Mesh Belly Panel Co nduc te d b y Co rne ll Unive rsity Co o pe ra tive E xte nsio n- Ma rine Pro g ra m F unde d b y NOAA’ s Byc a tc h Re duc tio n E ng ine e ring Pro g ra m (BRE P)
P r oject Goals & Objectives T he g o a l o f the pro je c t is to wo rk with the fishing industry to imple me nt a no -c o st b yc a tc h re duc tio n te c hno lo g y to re duc e the b yc a tc h o f No rthe a st g ro undfish c a tc h sha re spe c ie s a nd sto c ks tha t a re o ve rfishe d a nd whe re o ve rfishing is o c c urring . Ob je c tive s: 1) I mple me nt a c o nse rva tio n g e a r te c hno lo g y a ppro a c h to a ddre ss b yc a tc h issue s in the Ne w E ng la nd sma ll me sh multispe c ie s fishe ry. 2) T o c o o rdina te a nd fa c ilita te a tra nsfe r o f c o nse rva tio n g e a r te c hno lo g y thro ug h a fina nc ia l a ssista nc e pro g ra m fo r fishing ve sse l o wne rs to utilize a b yc a tc h re duc tio n g e a r type – a la rg e me sh b e lly pa ne l - a ime d a t re duc ing ye llo wta il flo unde r a nd windo wpa ne flo unde r b yc a tc h. 3) He lp re so urc e ma na g e rs a nd fishe rme n wo rk to g e the r to susta ina b ly use , pro te c t, ma inta in a nd re b uild ma rine fishe rie s. 4) Co o rdina te with g e a r supplie rs to imple me nt a L MBP vo uc he r pro g ra m tha t pro vide s fina nc ia l a ssista nc e to ve sse l o wne rs to he lp the m o b ta in a nd utilize this g e a r type .
L ar ge Mesh Belly P anel (L MBP ) De sc riptio n & Ba c kg ro und
Ske tc h of L a r g e Me sh Be lly Pa ne l 80c m la rg e me sh 1 st b o tto m b e lly 80 c m we b b ing T he lar ge me sh pane l is made of 80c m (32”) me sh 6mm poly we bbing, 2 me she s de e p X 16 me she s wide se wn into the standar d 16c m (6”) me sh of the be lly. With the ‘saw-toothing’ of the 16c m me sh, this yie lds an e ffe c tive ope ning of 3 full me she s de e p, a total of about 8’ of lar ge me sh. T he pane l attac he s five 16c m me she s (appr ox. 2.5’) be hind the footr ope and goe s fr om gor e to gor e (22 me she s wide or appr ox. 30’).
L ar ge Mesh Belly Panel Studies Per for med • T he L MBP c o nc e pt wa s te ste d o rig ina lly b y Millike n a nd De Alte ris (2004). T he y fo und tha t a la rg e me sh pa ne l c o nstruc te d o f 40.6-c m dia mo nd sha pe d stre tc he d me sh with o ra ng e -c o lo re d nylo n twine 1.6 mm in dia me te r in the lo we r b e lly o f the ne t re sulte d in a 73% re duc tio n in fla tfish c a tc h with no e ffe c t o n the c a tc h o f whiting . T ha t study g a ve suppo rting e vide nc e tha t a la rg e me sh b e lly pa ne l c o uld b e e ffe c tive in the whiting fishe ry. • CCE ha s pe rfo rme d multiple studie s with the L MBP in re duc ing va rio us flo unde r spe c ie s sinc e 2010. CCE ’ s first study fo c use d o n re duc ing winte r flo unde r in sma ll me sh fishe rie s o f So uthe rn Ne w E ng la nd (SNE ). T ha t study re sulte d in a n 87.9% re duc tio n in winte r flo unde r c a tc h in the sma ll me sh ne t with the L MBP insta lle d (Ha sb ro uc k e t a l., 2012). • With funding fro m NE F MC, CCE c o ntinue d e xpe rime nting with the L MBP in the sma ll me sh sc up fishe ry fo c using o n re duc tio n o f windo wpa ne flo unde r in the SNE sto c k a re a . T ha t study re sulte d in a b yc a tc h re duc tio n o f windo wpa ne flo unde r o f 48.04% (Ha sb ro uc k e t a l., 2016).
R esear c h Per for med (c ontinued) • I n e ffo rts to a ddre ss the de c lining ye llo wta il flo unde r sto c k, CCE pe rfo rme d a two -pha se L MBP pro je c t. Pha se I o f the study wa s c o nduc te d in the lo ng fin sq uid fishe ry o n So uthe a st Ge o rg e s Ba nk. Re sults sho we d a sta tistic a lly-sig nific a nt re duc tio n in GB ye llo wta il flo unde r c a tc h b y we ig ht (72.3 %), a nd a sta tistic a lly-sig nific a nt re duc tio n in No rthe rn windo wpa ne flo unde r c a tc h b y we ig ht (50.9%) b e twe e n the c o ntro l a nd e xpe rime nta l ne ts(Ha sb ro uc k e t a l., 2015). F unde d b y NMF S. • Pha se I I o f the study wa s pe rfo rme d in the whiting fishe ry o n Cultiva to r Sho a ls. Simila r re sults sho we d a sta tistic a lly-sig nific a nt re duc tio n in ye llo wta il flo unde r c a tc h (80.7%) a nd windo wpa ne c a tc h (59.3%) b y we ig ht b e twe e n the c o ntro l a nd e xpe rime nta l ne ts (Ha sb ro uc k e t a l., 2015a ). F unde d b y NMF S.
Dir ect Application of R esear ch to Management • Re sults o f the se suc c e ssful studie s we re pre se nte d b y CCE to the NE F MCs Re se a rc h Ste e ring Co mmitte e . • Afte r furthe r a na lysis b y NE F MC, it wa s re q ue ste d tha t NOAA- NMF S ide ntify the L MBP tra wl a s a n a dditio na l a ppro ve d g e a r tha t c a n b e use d whe n the Ge o rg e s Ba nk ye llo wta il flo unde r AM is trig g e re d. • NMF S pub lishe d a Pro po se d Rule ma king to se e k pub lic c o mme nt o n a ppro ving the L MBP. T he pro po se d rule re q ue sts,” Appro va l o f Ne w Ge a r Unde r Sma ll-Me sh F ishe rie s Ac c o unta b ility Me a sure s”(F F R 2018). • T he pro po se d rule spe c ific a lly sta te s, “T he pro po se d se le c tive g e a r wo uld re duc e b yc a tc h o f g ro undfish spe c ie s, while a llo wing the ta rg e t fishe rie s to c o ntinue o pe ra ting whe n se le c tive tra wl g e a r is re q uire d” (NOAA-NMF S, 2018). I n the pro po se d rule NOAA-NMF S a c kno wle dg e s the b yc a tc h re duc tio n o f GB YT the L MBP o ffe rs.
L ar ge Mesh Belly Panel Spec ific ations T he L MBP g e a r de sc riptio n de ta ile d b e lo w is a n e xc e rpt fro m NOAA-NMF S pro po se d rule . 648.84 Ge ar - mar king r e quir e me nts and ge ar r e str ic tions. (f) L arg e -me sh b e lly pane l trawl . A la rg e -me sh b e lly pa ne l tra wl is de fine d a s a fo urse a m b o tto m tra wl ne t ( i.e . , a ne t with a to p a nd b o tto m pa ne l a nd two side pa ne ls) mo difie d to inc lude a la rg e -me sh pa ne l to re pla c e the first b o tto m b e lly, a s furthe r spe c ifie d in pa ra g ra phs (f)(1) a nd (2) o f this se c tio n. (1) Me sh size . T he minimum me sh size a pplie d thro ug ho ut the b o dy o f the tra wl, a s we ll a s the c o de nd me sh size , must b e c o nsiste nt with me sh size re q uire me nts spe c ifie d in §648.80. I f a ve sse l is fishing in a n e xe mptio n a re a o r a n e xe mpte d fishe ry, it must c o mply with a ll o f the re q uire me nts a nd c o nditio ns o f the e xe mptio n. (2) L arg e -me sh b e lly pane l. T he la rg e -me sh b e lly pa ne l must ha ve a minimum me sh size o f 30 in (76.2 c m) me a sure d using the sta nda rd de fine d in § 648.80(f)(2). T he width o f the pa ne l must e xte nd the full width o f the b o tto m pa ne l ( i.e . , fro m o ne b o tto m g o re to the o the r b o tto m g o re ). T he de pth must b e a t le a st 90 in (228.6 c m) a nd a t le a st 3 me she s de e p (2 me she s de e p with a 15- in (38.1-c m) se wing se a m o n to p a nd b o tto m). No mo re tha n six me she s o f the sma ll me sh ne t ma y b e le ft b e hind the swe e p, b e fo re the la rg e -me sh pa ne l is se wn in (NOAA-NMF S, 2018).
Pr evious L MBP F inanc ial Assistanc e Pr ogr am • I n c o lla b o ra tio n with the Co mme rc ia l F ishe rie s Re se a rc h F o unda tio n (CF RF ), CCE fa c ilita te d a fina nc ia l a ssista nc e pro g ra m in 2013-2014, in the c o mme rc ia l lo ng fin sq uid fishe ry, whic h inc lude d a vo uc he r syste m a nd c o lle c tio n o f industry surve ys. T his pro g ra m, na me d “T he Ge a r T ria ls Pro g ra m” (CF RF , 2015) wa s we ll re c e ive d b y the c o mme rc ia l fishing industry o f So uthe rn Ne w E ng la nd a nd Mid- Atla ntic . • CCE a ssiste d g e a r supplie rs a nd fishe rme n in c o o rdina ting g e a r de live ry, g e a r pic kup a nd vo uc he r re de mptio n a s we ll a s tra c king g e a r usa g e . • “T he Ge a r T ria ls Pro g ra m” pro vide d 2 c o nse rva tio n te c hno lo g y g e a r type s, using a 12” dro p c ha in swe e p a nd a L MBP, to sma ll me sh fishe rme n o f the So uthe rn Ne w E ng la nd a nd Mid-Atla ntic re g io ns. • CCE a ssiste d 63 ve sse ls in o b ta ining a nd using the b yc a tc h re duc tio n g e a r in the sma ll me sh sq uid fishe ry (Ha sb ro uc k e t a l., 2015b ).
Recommend
More recommend
