April 18, 2011 New fishing quota system gains support By Doug Fraser On June 24, 2009, John Pappalardo, the Chairman of the New England Fishery Management Council, walked into a critical council meeting in Portland, Maine, fully expecting a battle. The council, an appointed body of fishermen, state and federal fisheries representatives, industry reps and an environmentalist was voting on the most radical change in fisheries management since the limit was introduced in 1976. To some, sector management, with its emphasis on dividing up fish stocks and handing shares over to individual fishermen, was akin to fencing off the open range. "I bent over backwards to get comments out of the audience," recalled Pappalardo, who also serves as the Chief Executive Officer for the Chatham-based Cape Cod Commercial Hook Fishermen's Association. But the fight never materialized and the measure passed 14-1. Even the allocation method, the most controversial element of the new regulations, which dictated how the fish would be divided among fishermen, passed by a lopsided margin, 12 for, 4 against and 1 abstention. . Consensus proved fleeting. Once the fishing season began in May, problems and discontent, particularly with the allocation of quota, surfaced. "It's extremely complex and over-engineered, not fully vetted and developed prior to the race to implement it," said Eric Anderson, a former New England council member who represents 25 New Hampshire and Massachusetts fishing vessels. Council member David Preble of Rhode Island agreed the process was somewhat rushed because they were under a court-imposed deadline to rebuild fish stocks by 2014. While some other proposals seemed promising, only sector management had a track record of ending overfishing and restoring fish stocks in that restrictive time frame, Preble said. While critics grabbed the spotlight and waxed loud and long about the new management system, many fishermen from Maine to New Jersey found it to be far better than the previous regulations to the point where they are looking forward to the beginning of the new fishing year next month. "From my perspective, this is a hell of a lot better than it was before and we're still working on ways to improve it," said Eric Brazer, sector manager for the Georges Bank Fixed Gear Sector.
April 18, 2011 New fishing quota system gains support By Doug Fraser On June 24, 2009, John Pappalardo, the Chairman of the New England Fishery Management Council, walked into a critical council meeting in Portland, Maine, fully expecting a battle. The council, an appointed body of fishermen, state and federal fisheries representatives, industry reps and an environmentalist was voting on the most radical change in fisheries management since the limit was introduced in 1976. To some, sector management, with its emphasis on dividing up fish stocks and handing shares over to individual fishermen, was akin to fencing off the open range. "I bent over backwards to get comments out of the audience," recalled Pappalardo, who also serves as the Chief Executive Officer for the Chatham-based Cape Cod Commercial Hook Fishermen's Association. But the fight never materialized and the measure passed 14-1. Even the allocation method, the most controversial element of the new regulations, which dictated how the fish would be divided among fishermen, passed by a lopsided margin, 12 for, 4 against and 1 abstention. . Consensus proved fleeting. Once the fishing season began in May, problems and discontent, particularly with the allocation of quota, surfaced. "It's extremely complex and over-engineered, not fully vetted and developed prior to the race to implement it," said Eric Anderson, a former New England council member who represents 25 New Hampshire and Massachusetts fishing vessels. Council member David Preble of Rhode Island agreed the process was somewhat rushed because they were under a court-imposed deadline to rebuild fish stocks by 2014. While some other proposals seemed promising, only sector management had a track record of ending overfishing and restoring fish stocks in that restrictive time frame, Preble said. While critics grabbed the spotlight and waxed loud and long about the new management system, many fishermen from Maine to New Jersey found it to be far better than the previous regulations to the point where they are looking forward to the beginning of the new fishing year next month. "From my perspective, this is a hell of a lot better than it was before and we're still working on ways to improve it," said Eric Brazer, sector manager for the Georges Bank Fixed Gear Sector.
NewFishingquotasystemgainssupport.docx