Effective on November 2, 2009, at the request of the New England Fishery Management Council, NOAA Fisheries Service's Northeast Regional Administrator is adding three conditions to to the Gulf of Maine /Georges Bank Herring Midwater Trawl Authorization Letter for vessels fishing in Closed Area 1:
100 percent observer coverage
Prohibition on slipped codends, and
Requirement that all fish be pumped aboard to allow sampling by the observer.
Reports of groundfish bycatch in Area 1 over the past several years prompted the New England Fishery Management Council to request that NOAA Fisheries Service implement additional observer requirements for vessels that fish with midwater trawl gear, in order to obtain additional bycatch information. Access to other Northeast multispecies closed areas is not affected by these regulation changes.
Now we will see what actually takes place on these boats...thanks to all you wrote letters in support of this ruling...your actions did have an effect.
Been fishing the cape.. but ran home a few days ago to sneek ipswich bay, and i saw 7 MWT working. I watched them come right around the flag two blue boats side by side map the deep water off the flag like a chart and go right around me twice while i was spinning on the hook. they headed right for the shoals up whaleback then made a right and cleared scantum. lot bait around in there. sure they will take it all. and its alot of small bait 7-10 inch herring tonz of whitting. sad they just destroy.. could be epic there
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