Contact: Scott Smullen/Gordon Helm FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(301) 713-2370 1/11/95
Andy Rosenberg
(508) 281-9250
The National Marine Fisheries Service has amended the emergency regulations in the Northeast groundfish fishery to allow vessels to enter and transit closed areas for safety reasons and to expand the bycatch species allowed in specific exempted and bycatch fisheries.
"These adjustments will further provide for the safety of fishermen operating in New England waters, and will allow fishermen to retain more bycatch species for sale," said Rollie Schmitten, director of the Commerce Department's National Marine Fisheries Service. "The action reflects our continuing effort to work with the New England and Mid-Atlantic councils to ease the burden on fishermen in Northeast fisheries without compromising conservation initiatives."
Although two areas on Georges Bank and one south of Nantucket Island are closed to almost all fishing activity, the rules have been modified to ensure that vessels needing to transit these areas for safety reasons can do so. This is particularly important during the winter months when bad weather frequently requires fishing vessels to seek shelter quickly.
The rule modifications also allow fishermen working in certain exempted fisheries, as defined by the Dec. 12 emergency rule, to retain and sell a wider range of incidentally-caught fish than originally permitted. Keeping these incidentally- caught species can be an important source of additional revenue to fishermen trying to move out of traditional groundfish fisheries.
The emergency action that closed portions of U.S. waters on Georges Bank and in southern New England to fishing to save such species as cod, haddock and yellowtail flounder from economic extinction was requested by the New England Fishery Management Council and supported by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management
Council. During the emergency action, several small mesh fisheries of alternative species have been allowed to continue outside the closed areas provided they do not adversely affect the conservation of groundfish.
Fisheries service officials say the amendment will not jeopardize the conservation provisions of last month's emergency action. To provide protection to young groundfish during this resource emergency, the action has closed some fisheries that operate with small mesh nets.
NOTE TO EDITORS: A fact sheet is available by fax upon request.