Seismic change seen in fishing ‘sectors’

BOSTON – Fishermen catch fish. At least, Robert St. Pierre thought that was his job, but years of working under restrictive and complicated federal rules made him wonder.

Daily catch limits on protected species such as cod were so low, he had to be careful not to catch too many fish too fast. Once he reached the 1,000-pound limit, he had to stop fishing for everything else, and any cod caught over the limit were thrown back dead.

But now, St. Pierre fishes differently by working in one of the “sectors” that are bringing profound change to how the troubled New England fishery is run.

Under the new system, fishermen form groups that have annual catch limits and decide together when and how to fish. This system frees them from hated current restrictions, including a shrinking number of days they’re allowed to fish and daily catch limits.

When the market is down, St. Pierre doesn’t fish. When it’s good, the hunt is on. He can pull up a huge cod catch without tossing most of it back.

“I’ve spent five, six years trying not to catch fish,” said St. Pierre, 50, a gill-netter from Chatham. “It’s been the first good fishing experience I’ve had in a long time.”

By May 2009, regulators plan to have “sector management” widely in place. Nineteen groups have applied to become sectors to the New England Fishery Management Council, which recommends rule changes to federal regulators.

“The council as a whole believes that this is a good way to go,” said the council’s Deputy Director Christopher Kellogg.

Not all of the fishermen are convinced.

Mike Walsh, who fishes out of his native South Boston, has succeeded on his own and has no interest in a new set of regulations. While joining a sector isn’t mandatory – managers say those outside the system will be treated equitably – Walsh believes anyone who doesn’t will be left haggling over scraps.

“It’s the next thing the government is shoving down our throat,” he said.

The current system tries to protect fish by making it harder for fishermen to catch them. But after about 13 years under those rules, key species such as cod and flounder still are struggling. The New England fishing fleet has shrunk steadily – the number of boats fell from 990 to 773 between 1996 and 2004. And some fishermen are allowed to fish just 24 days a year.

Environmentalists have long argued that the current system has failed to stop overfishing because it lacks the strict annual quotas that force fishermen to stop fishing for a species once the quota is exceeded.

The new sector system will have an annual quota, and by distributing the quotas to the groups, rather than individual fishermen, it lessens fears that the industry is being broken into small pieces that can be easily swept up and consolidated by big companies.

It also gives fishermen a chance to share resources, as well as the flexibility to make quick decisions based on weather or the market without getting tangled in so much red tape.

“As long as you’re meeting your quota, you’re pretty much honoring your promise to the government,” said Vito Giacalone of the Northeast Seafood Coalition, an industry group that supports the new system.

Fishermen can join together for various reasons – they don’t have to fish in the same area or use the same gear. Two sectors have been established already – St. Pierre’s group and another for hook fishermen targeting cod in Chatham.

Dividing the entire New England fishery will be far more complicated and controversial. Each fisherman will be allotted a certain amount of fish, and their allotments will combine to make a sector’s quota.

A person’s catch history likely will be the biggest factor in determining allotment, but it’s not likely to be as simple as counting up what a fisherman has brought back to port. Among many issues: Some fishermen have survived by leasing unused fishing days from colleagues. Will they get credit for the fish caught on those days, or will it go to the person who leased them the extra time? The sectors also will come with administrative costs for fishermen. Each sector will need to hire someone to manage it, and St. Pierre said more on-boat observers are essential to make sure catch reports are accurate.

Giacalone also sees potential problems in forcing traditionally independent fishermen to share decision-making and potentially their catches.

“Fishermen are independent. We’re not going to all of the sudden subscribe to socialism,” he said. “It’s not like five boats are going to get together and say, ‘Hey, goombah, the four of us will hand you the family jewels, and you’ll be the winner.”‘

Walsh, the South Boston fisherman, said hard work is the reason he has survived in the fishery while others have failed. He stayed a step ahead of changing fishing rules by buying boats and permits that allow him adequate fishing days. The new system will take those days away, and he’s convinced he won’t be justly compensated.

His three boats are more than a business. “It’s my life,” he said. Walsh speaks reverently of an industry that got him out of the projects, but he has a bad feeling about its latest turn.

“I’m definitely going to be losing what I worked to get,” he said.

No matter, he said. He’ll adjust. “I’ll be the last one standing,” Walsh said.