Fishing leases agitate industry

PORTLAND – An emergency proposal to allow New England fishermen to lease their limited fishing days to other boats is stirring controversy within the industry.

Boat owners face strict court-ordered limits on the number of days they can go to sea to catch cod, haddock and other groundfish.

But some fishermen worry that the plan could lead to a consolidation of the fleet as small, family-operated boats lease their fishing days to a relatively few larger ones. Others say the plan will lead to bigger catches overall at a time when the fleet already is catching too much and fish populations remain depleted.

The National Marine Fisheries Service proposed the plan in emergency regulations posted in the April 24 Federal Register. The agency was accepting public comments Tuesday at a meeting of the New England Fishery Management Council in Gloucester, Mass. Written comments can be submitted until May 27.

Each boat is allowed a certain number of fishing days depending on past effort. The typical boat is now able to catch groundfish 70 days a year, a level that some fishermen say is barely worth it. The agency says the proposal will allow fishing-boat owners more flexibility and give them the ability to maximize profits.

A boat owner who is barely breaking even would be able to lease his days at sea and stay home, earning money while avoiding bills for fuel, ice and labor. Another boat owner more reliant on fishing income could use those extra fishing days to increase his catch and his profits.

“Under the leasing program,” according to the agency’s proposal, “fewer vessels will actually fish, but the profits for all vessels will be higher.” The proposal also says it will cushion the financial pain of regulations while having a neutral impact on fish populations.

Members of the fishing industry had asked for a temporary leasing program, but the latest proposal is spawning a variety of concerns about impacts on fish and on the industry.

Unlimited consolidation of the fleet would eliminate the incomes for crew members as well as cut into the revenue of smaller fishing ports and shore-side businesses that supply the fleet.

Fishermen and others also say the federal proposal could erode conservation efforts, possibly leading to future cutbacks.

New England groundfish boats used about 41,000 fishing days in the latest fishing year, and the fleet exceeded target catches for cod and other species. The fleet had a total of almost 26,900 additional days at sea that were not used but could be made available through the leasing program.