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Scallop stocks in good shape; good news for New
Bedford
By BECKY W. EVANS Standard-Times staff writer
 Northeast
sea scallop stocks have been rebuilt to sustainable
levels and taken off a list of fish species regulators
are legally required to manage back to healthy
populations, according to a new report released by the
National Marine Fisheries Service.
The 2006 report on the status of U.S. fish stocks shows
that scallops are "no longer subject to overfishing,"
which the agency defines as having a harvesting rate
that is at or below a prescribed fishing mortality rate.
In other words, the current rate of fishing is not going
to deplete the stock.
The change in status is good news for New Bedford's
profitable scallop industry, which helped the city earn
its reputation as the top money-making fishing port in
the country in 2005, with fish landings worth $282.5
million. Scallops are currently selling for around $6.50
per pound, down from nearly $10 per pound in December
2005.
Jim Kendall, a former scallop fisherman who heads up New
Bedford Seafood Consulting, said he is happy to see
scallop stocks "rebound so quickly."
"We will possibly gain more fishing time or more
landings," Mr. Kendall said.
Fishery managers consider the status of the scallop
stock each year before determining how many fishing days
will be allotted to the scallop fleet, he said.
A healthier stock could translate into more fishing
days, he said.
Kevin Stokesbury, who leads the scallop research program
at the UMass Dartmouth School for Marine Science and
Technology, said video surveys show that the sea scallop
stock biomass, or total weight, has not changed the past
three years.
"It is holding steady," Dr. Stokesbury said.
Despite the overall health of the stock, he noted that
there is "some concern" regarding low recruitment of
young scallops, or the amount of scallops that are added
to the exploitable stock each year.
This may not be a problem since recruitment occurs in
"pulses" and is not always the same from year to year,
he said.
Teri Frady, spokeswoman for the National Marine
Fisheries Service, said achieving a sustainable
population is "great news" for the scallop stock.
But fishery managers will have to remain vigilant about
keeping the stock healthy, she said.
"Sustainability is not something that happens once," she
said. "You have to work on it all the time."
The fisheries service releases an annual report that
describes both the state of U.S. marine fisheries and
the effectiveness of fisheries management under the
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management
Act. The act was recently updated and now requires
managers to revise fishery management plans to end
overfishing by 2010.
The 2006 report, which was released Friday, shows 47 of
187 fish stocks and multi-species groupings were
classified as overfished, or a stock size that is below
sustainable levels. Another 48 stocks were found to be
subject to overfishing.
"Overfishing must be solved now," National Marine
Fisheries Service director Bill Hogarth said in a
statement.
"We have the right combination of legal tools to improve
stewardship, and we're moving full throttle ahead with
implementing the new mandate to end overfishing so
future generations of Americans can enjoy sustainable
and healthy marine ecosystems." |
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