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Meeting on Recent Advances in Fishing Gear for Northern Shrimp

ASMFC Northern Shrimp Technical Committee report on the results of this meeting, Nov. 5, 2010 - pdf file, 12 pages, 199 kb

Time: 1 - 4 pm, September 23, 2010
Place: TD Bank Board Room (3rd Floor), Gulf of Maine Research Inst, Portland, Maine (directions here)
Who's invited: Everyone, particularly shrimp harvesters, buyers, scientists, and fishery managers from ME, MA, and NH
Registration: Free, but please RSVP to Dana Morse, below
Hosted by: Maine DMR and Maine Sea Grant

Background:

There have been several recent research projects to test trawl gear modifications that might reduce the catch of smaller shrimp, and/or reduce the bycatch of finfish. These include a combination grate, a double grate, and a topless trawl.

Last spring, the ASMFC Northern Shrimp Section decided to close the 2009-10 shrimp fishing season early, in part because the shrimp caught in the spring were significantly smaller than those caught earlier in the season. This was nothing new, but got a lot of attention. The Section asked the Technical Committee to meet with researchers to discuss solutions.

In early November 2010, the Section will develop its management plan for Northern Shrimp for the coming fishing season. Prior to this, the Technical Committee will review research done in recent years to reduce bycatch of undersized shrimp and non-target species, and may make a recommendation to the Section. This meeting will allow fishermen, researchers and others to discuss their work with members of the Technical Committee, so that their results may be added to the information considered in management.

Purpose:

Our purpose will be to hear from the researchers and fishermen who have experimented with various gear configurations, and get their recommendations on:

1. Whether/when/where small shrimp are a problem (both biologically or economically), and
2. If so, whether recent gear research offers solutions, and
3. If so, whether we are ready to discuss management regulations or pilot programs, and
4. What, if any, further research might be useful

Agenda:

There will be presentations from several researchers and fishermen, followed by open discussion. The presenters include:

Kelo Pinkham – Fisherman (F/V Jeanne C) Boothbay, Maine
Dr. Pingguo He – SMAST, New Bedford, MA
David Goethel – Fisherman (F/V Ellen Diane) NH [Dave was unable to attend. Steve Eayrs filled in.]
Gary Libby – Fisherman, Port Clyde, ME
Ken LaValley – UNH Sea Grant, Durham, NH
Steve Parkes – Cape Ann Fresh Catch/Gloucester Fishermen's Wives Assoc., MA
Steve Eayrs - GMRI

More Information:

For more information, please contact:

• Dana Morse (Sea Grant & Univ. of Maine Cooperative Extension) Email: dana.morse@maine.edu Phone: (207) 563-3146 x205
• Maggie Hunter (DMR) Email: margaret.hunter@maine.gov Phone: (207) 633-9541

Technical Reports:

• Pinkham, Schick, and White. 2006. Improving the Size Selectivity for Northern Shrimp Through Use of a Combination of a Modified Nordmore Grate and Square Mesh. NEC. - pdf file, 109 pages, 4MB | Summary table - pdf file, 1 page, 16kb
• He and Balzano. 2009. Design and Test a Size-sorting Grid to Reduce Small Shrimps in the Northern Shrimp Fishery In Gulf of Maine. NEC. - pdf file, 31 pages, 1.2 MB
• He, Goethal, and Smith. 2007. Design and test of a Topless Shrimp Trawl, to Reduce Pelagic Fish Bycatch in the Gulf of Maine Pink Shrimp Fishery. J. Northw. Atl. Fish Sci. - pdf file, 9 pages, 859 kb
• Eayers, Stephens, and Raymond. 2009. A Contemporary Assessment of the Bycatch of Regulated Species and the Nordmore Grate in the Northern Shrimp Fishery. NEC. - pdf file, 43 pages, 378 kb
• ASMFC. 2004. Amendment 1 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Northern Shrimp. - pdf file, 84 pages, 1.7 MB

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