University of Massachusetts Amherst Library Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2013 with funding from Boston Library Consortium Member Libraries http://archive.org/details/massachusettslob1997mass ■ I ■ % $ * ■ >*B ':) ■ ■ 31 ■ ■ I Si •..■*•■ ■ 1 1 ■ ' I fit) I 'i " ■..'•■'..•.■ ■■ B B B Hun r»A ftVH ■^^■w dun v ' ■ ifi uw, •T ', 'ill . I I I »■ . l mm '•'v.itti^: ■ 4S5>. t=A 4i. ok- m -33sk /■z./'ffy GOVERNMENT DOCUMENTS COLLECTION 1933 University of Massachusetts " Oeoositorv Copy MASSACHUSETTS DIVISION OF MARINE FISHERIES 1997 MASSACHUSETTS LOBSTER FISHERY STATISTICS by Jonathan A. Pava Fisheries Statistician and Karen Kruger EDP Programmer and Thomas B. Hoopes Systems Analyst Information Systems and Fisheries Statistics Project Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries Annisquam River Marine Fisheries Station 30 Emerson Avenue Gloucester, Massachusetts 01930 (978) 282-0308 Technical Series 32 A contribution of Interjurisdictional Fisheries Act (P.L.99-659) Project (NA86F10019) The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs Bob Durand, Secretary Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Environmental Law Enforcement David M. Peters, Commissioner Division of Marine Fisheries Philip G. Coates, Director INTRODUCTION The commercial lobster fishery of Massachusetts is the most economically important fishery conducted within the territorial waters of the Commonwealth. The overall importance of the fishery both in New England and, in recent years, the Mid- Atlantic states, has focused the attention of federal, regional and state fishery managers on this species. In the early 1970's, in an attempt to standardize management of the fishery, the federal and state governments developed an overall lobster fishery management plan under the auspices of the State-Federal Fisheries Management Program. However, with the passage of the Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act in 1976, the New England Fisheries Management Council, in cooperation with the Mid- Atlantic Council, developed and implemented a management plan for the entire Atlantic Coast lobster fishery. The basis and success of any such plan is an accurate statistical database. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, with funding from the National Marine Fisheries Service, has been collecting annual reports from licensed lobster fishermen since the early 1960's. In the past these data were used primarily for descriptive and informational purposes, and occasionally for management. With the more recent emphasis on Federal management, however, these data have provided the respective management agencies with the information they need to protect the interests of Massachusetts' lobstermen and ensure a productive fishery in the Commonwealth. During the period 1975 - 1980, the number of coastal commercial lobster permits was limited by law to 1300, with an additional ten percent issued to proven hardship cases each year. In 1981, a statutory change mandated the establishment of a permanent waiting list from which 100 new permits were issued. Thirty special additional permits were also awarded to full-time commercial fishermen who met certain criteria. From 1982 to 1987, 80 list permits and 20 special additional permits were issued each year. In 1988, the issuance of new coastal permits was suspended. From 1988 to 1993, license transfers were allowed only within the immediate family, and if a license was allowed to expire, it was retired. In early 1993, a new regulation was promulgated by the DMF establishing broader eligibility criteria and new procedures for the transfer of Coastal Commercial Lobster Permits. As a result of these measures, the number of permits has declined from an all time high of 1,865 in 1988 to a more manageable 1,591 licenses today. The new system has also allowed for more orderly turnover in the industry. The new transfer procedures provide for transfer to employees (captains, deck hands, etc.) and persons on an established waiting list in addition to transfers within the immediate family. Only those licenses that have been actively fished for four out of the past five years according to catch reports filed with the Division may be transferred. The person to whom the permit is transferred must prove that he/she has at least one year of experience in the commercial lobster pot fishery or two years of experience in commercial fishing. All transferees must be owner/operators of the new business. Transfer activity for calendar year 1997 is described on Page 2. This report is the thirty-first annual publication of data compiled from the catch reports of licensed lobster fishermen. Data were presented in a standardized format through 1979. In 1980, the presentation was enhanced as a result of improved collection and analysis methods. This publication represents the twelfth year in which the data processing and analysis have been completely automated. Areal data presented in this report conform to the National Marine Fisheries Service statistical reporting areas. This report does not, however, cover the scope of the Project's existing database and computational capability. Requests for expanded information, or questions concerning this publication, should be directed to the Division's Statistics Project in Gloucester, MA: (978) 282-0308. This report has been prepared by personnel of the Division of Marine Fisheries Information Systems and Fisheries Statistics Project, funded jointly by the Commonwealth and the National Marine Fisheries Service under the Interjurisdictional Fisheries Act (Public Law 99-659). The preparation of this report would not have been possible without the cooperation of licensed lobstermen who provided the information on their annual reports. Special thanks go to Ann Spires who continues, year after year, to interpret and keypunch, with special care and accuracy, the type of reports that fishermen are likely to fill out. Thanks also go to Charlie Anderson, who heads up the project, for his help with system development and upgrades and for his suggestions concerning this publication. These two people are as important to this process as we are, and without them this publication would not be possible. The authors also wish to acknowledge the assistance of Bruce Estrella from our Lobster Biology Project and Eileen Feeney and Kevin Creighton from our permitting office. SOURCE OF DATA "No person may fish for or take lobster in coastal waters or land lobster in the Commonwealth without a permit issued by the Director of the Division of Marine Fisheries." (Chapter 130, Mass. G.L., Section 38). Chapter 130, Mass. G.L., Section 33, requires any person so licensed to file an annual report of their catch by January 31 for the preceding calendar year. In 1980, a dual reporting system was established. Commercial lobstermen (coastal, offshore and seasonal(student)) received a detailed catch report form with their license renewal application. This report requests the following information: method of fishing; number and type of gear used; effort data (set-over days, number of trips per month, etc.); pounds of lobster caught; areas fished; principal ports of landing; and information relative to the vessels and traps used in the fishery. Recreational fishermen are asked to report on their license renewal application form the number of lobsters taken during the previous year and the maximum number of traps fished. Project personnel sort, edit, tabulate and interpret data from all reports received. Data presented in this publication are based on catch reports actually received as of October 19, 1998 and are not expanded to represent all of the permits issued in 1997. COASTAL LOBSTER LICENSE TRANSFER During 1993, the Division promulgated regulations to broaden the criteria for the transfer of a coastal lobster license from one individual to another. The intent of the new legislation was to create more options for lobstermen who wish to retire and leave this limited entry fishery. During calendar year 1997, the Division authorized the transfer of 59 coastal lobster licenses. Seventeen of the transfers went to 'captains' who were previously authorized to fish another holder's license and who had fished that holder's license for at least twelve months prior to transfer. Thirteen transfers were allowed within the holder's immediate family (and would also have been allowed prior to the new regulation). Twenty transfers were made directly from the holder to a sternman with a documented fishing history. Nine lobstermen advertised their coastal lobster businesses to persons on a waiting list maintained by the Division and subsequently transferred their permits. Eleven licenses were forfeited to the Division in 1997; six of these coastal lobster permits were issued directly to waiting list applicants, and the remaining five licenses were permanently retired. EXPLANATION OF TABLES All data presented in this publication are broken down into two basic categories: the first is "territorial" which represents data pertaining to all lobstering activity taking place within the territorial waters (3 mile line) of the Commonwealth (Areas 1-14 on Figure 1A); the second is "non-territorial" which represents all data beyond those waters (Areas 15-25 on Figure IB). In 1990, the statistical reporting map was revised to reflect the territorial / non-territorial breakdown and to conform to the National Marine Fisheries Service's statistical reporting areas. Figures 1 A and IB show the statistical reporting areas used by the Division to collect most commercial fisheries data in the Commonwealth. Figure 1 A. 1 997 Massachusetts Lobster Fishery; Statistical Reporting Map Showing Territorial Waters and Outlying Areas Mtaffise IMfcffiiefl OMCTCS PHILIP CQVTE N MjBMCktueib Geographic litfot rmtfrm Syatem FMAS^ kGIS l^rio M—uc^etii £j=Eur tie Oflfc* ^ EnCt'DKmeKfcii Aft&ra - IMS Scale =1:1320,000 0 miles 10 20 30 Description of Boundaries for Territorial Areas Between Areas Boundaries Between Areas Boundaries 1 & 2 Castle Neck. Ipswich -Territorial Line 2 & 3 Gales Pt, Manchester -Territorial Line 3 & 4 Red Rock, Lynn -Territorial Line 4 & 5 Strawberry Pt, Cohasset -Territorial Line 5&6 High Pines Ledge. Plymouth -120 Foot Line 6&7 Scussett Beach, Sandwich -120 Foot Line 5,6,7 &8 120 Foot Line 8 & 9 70 Degree Longitude Line 9&10 70 Degree Longitude Line 9 & 1 1 41 Degree 20 Minute Longitude Line 10 & 12 Wasque Pt, MV -Muskeget Island Nantucket 10 & 1 3 Succonnesset Pt, Mashpee -Cape Pogue, MV 1 1 & 12 70 Degree Longitude Line 12 & 13 41 Degree 20 Minute Longitude Line 13 & 14 Elizabeth Islands and Sow & Pigs Reef to Territorial Line 14 & 15 70 Degree Longitude Line to Territorial Line NOTE: Parts of Area 10 (Nantucket Sound) are federal waters, but are managed by DMF. ~J = Territorial Waters w\:vn,,v'vwv>\''^±m,-i'w.:>-';T-.- ■■■-■ ———--■ — ■ ■• •'•■:' *S;",?ffijy " '■'"''-' '-"•p^,^T-T-""'Tr'-"^-*T',T;-'",T-'-"TT.TT-"' '.■'■•■■'.- '■"• ■'■■•-" ;""-"!'iv: ■ ■■ '"■"■.Trr'r-T; T— . ■■■.■-:■-- :';;'".' ,' .:*;., '-'izt^ \ 20 * V t : ': \ * "- o ~ iv : '- ' , ""■ r. ;'";""*r \ " Tn332XT22 ~ - "" '^ J '" t ■ ~ \ ■■ * X > *». ■ t i_ :'- "* ■ V - / .; ■■;A/**ZZ£a/.4 :_ - - ..- c ' ...* ^V •. * •-"... t ':--':v- -.- ;vir *^rp".-r,-r.V.-: ; :■ - . * — r-rr-~-rj^- J£j&r \^&Yf:tr -■ -"/ - *, "--:"-" ■■■■.^■.-■■.■■-■■■':l::,--i ::.:- :;:r;-i::«' ••;•.::.•••-:-■»..-..:;...:.: - •;-■-: -..-.- f"., . 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VY 1 | 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 43 00 00 42 00 00 — 410000 7100 00 70 00 00 69 00 00 Figure IB. 1 997 Massachusetts Lobster Fishery; Statistical Reporting Map Showing Offshore Areas (which correspond to the National Marine Fisheries Service Statistical Areas) Areas 15 through 25 are the same geographic areas as the National Marine Fisheries Service statistical areas except where the Massachusetts territorial line runs through them. D&ECTCR PHILIP COOTS N ffi«^ B Ma»xkxuett3 Geographic trtfcrmOian Sytttm Executive Offvx&f frwuvroKntdl Affttin - 159? Scale =1:3,120,000 0 miles 20 40 60 80 = Hague Line I I = Territorial Waters 44 00 43 00 42 00i 41001 40 001 7100 00 70 00 00 69 00 00 68 00 00 67 00 00 66 00 00 Here is a brief definition of each lobster license type: Coastal Commercial: Allows the holder to harvest lobster anywhere, most importantly inside territorial waters. Offshore Commercial: Allows the holder to harvest lobster outside territorial waters only. Seasonal Commercial: Allows the holder, if he or she is a student, to harvest lobster anywhere, but with a maximum of 25 traps and only during the months of June - September. Non-commercial: Allows the holder to harvest lobster anywhere using SCUBA gear, a maximum of 10 traps, or a combination of both. The catch may not be sold. Regulations promulgated by the New England Fishery Management Council in cooperation with the major lobster harvesting states of the Atlantic Coast, declared 1990 the "off-year" of a 5-year program to increase the minimum legal size from 3 3/16 in 1987 to 3 5/16 inches by January of 1992 through four 1/32 inch increases. The program was suspended at the end of 1990 and the planned increases in 1991 and 1992 were delayed pending a study of the economic impact of the program. The gauge increase program has not resumed and has been superseded by a proposed amendment to the lobster Fishery Management Plan to control fishing effort without a gauge increase. Tables presenting number of fishermen, number of pots fished, number and value of boats used in the fishery and total landings statewide, by county and license type, and for each city and town were prepared using the catch reports submitted by commercial fishermen. In keeping with Division policy, some of the data are masked or combined to protect the confidentiality of the individual submitting the report. Data referring to the number of fishermen, number and value of gear, and number and value of boats are presented by the home port of the licensee filing the report. Pounds of lobster harvested are presented by the port of landing reported by the fishermen. Vessel and SCUBA gear values were calculated on the basis of the fishermen's estimate of its present value and the percentage of the time it is in use specifically for lobstering. Average values were used when the information was omitted from an individual report. When fishermen reported the number of lobsters taken, rather than poundage, a conversion factor of 1 .28 pounds per lobster was used to calculate poundage figures. This figure is based on information collected by the Division's Coastal Lobster Investigations Project. For information on biological (average carapace length, sex ratios, percent of egg-bearing lobster in catch etc.) and other parameters (mortality, exploitation and catch per unit of effort rates) contact this Project in Pocasset, MA at (508)563-1779. Where tables refer to county, the reader is referred to Figure 10. ISSUED LICENSES AND REPORTING STATUS Table 1 lists the number of commercial and recreational licenses issued in 1997, the dollar value of fees collected and the number that reported catching lobster. There were 2,207 commercial lobster licenses issued during 1997: 1,591 coastal, 551 offshore and 65 seasonal. Non-commercial licenses issued totaled 1 1,240; a breakdown of their reporting status and landings can be found in Table 6. - .-._- As of October 19, 1998, a total of 122 licensed commercial lobstermen (5.5 percent) failed to file a catch report with the Division. Of the 2,085 commercial fishermen who reported, 530 or 25.5 percent claimed they did not catch any lobster during 1997. The number of coastal licenses issued continues to decline since a 1988 moratorium on the issuance of new licenses. An annual decrease of approximately one percent per year continued in 1997 driven by fishermen leaving the fishery and the Division's policy to retire half of these licenses through attrition. The number of offshore licenses issued remained the same in 1997. Overall compliance with catch reporting by the offshore fleet appears to be improving. Student commercial licenses have decreased in number by approximately 14 percent since 1993. Table 1. 1997 Massachusetts Lobster Fishery; Reporting Status of Licenses Issued Licenses Licensing Reported Reported Not License Type (Fee) Issued Revenue "Catching Lobster" "No Lobster Catch' Reporting Coastal Commercial ($260) 1,591 $413,660 1,162 73% 407 26% 22 1% Offshore Commercial ($260) 551 $143,260 354 64% 117 21% 80 15% Seasonal (Student) Commercial ($65) 65 $4,225 39 60% 6 9% 20 31% Non-Commercial ($40) 11,240 $449,600 7,017 62% 1,789 16% 2,434 22% Total 13,447 $1,010,745 8,572 64% 2,319 17% 2,556 19% Table 2. Massachusetts Commercial Lobster Fishery; Selected Licensing Information, 1993 - 1997 Percent Five Coastal Licenses 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 Year Change Issued 1,627 1,612 1,609 1,598 1,591 -2.21% % Change -0.92 -0.19 -0.68 -0.44 "Caught Lobster" 1,195 1,194 1,190 1,179 1,162 % Change 0.85 -0.15 -0.24 -1.01 "Did Not Catch Lobster" 412 401 403 404 -407 % Change -7.76 0.69 0.94 1.19 Not Reporting 20 17 16 15 22 % Change -14.21 -5.71 -5.60 47.31 Percent Not Reporting 1.2% 1.1% 1.0% 0.9% 1.4% «sn;-' .- ■ - -: -■ - , ,.-• - - - - ^^WKS i- ;-..-■ -- - -- ■ - ---_■ =,\ ^*" ' n" "*" KSnt Offshore Licenses Issued 711 648 596 551 554 -22.08% % Change -8.86 -8.02 -7.55 0.54 "Caught Lobster" 479 480 439 400 354 % Change 9.95 -0.56 -1.44 -77.9* "Did Not Catch Lobster" 148 119 117 114 117 % Change -11.78 6.90 5.39 20* Not Reporting 84 49 49 37 83 % Change -36.00 8.72 -18.32 725.77 Percent Not Reporting 11.8% 7.6% 8.2% 6.7% 15.0% Seasonal (Student) Licenses M - - - -- -- ■ =5"-..^?^": = -- - , -- Issued 74 89 82 65 78 5.41% % Change 20.27 -7.87 -20.73 20.00 "Caught Lobster" 44 49 42 40 39 % Change -7.41 -14.29 -4.76 -2.50 "Did Not Catch Lobster" 8 15 12 1 6 % Change 55.90 -20.00 -41.67 -7*29 Not Reporting 22 25 28 18 33 % Change -5.52 12.00 18.00 83.33 Percent Not Reporting 29.7% 28.1% 34.1% 27.7% 42.3% Note: All annual percentage changes are normalized to the number of licenses issued for each license type in each year. LANDINGS AND VALUE In 1997, 15,092,015 pounds of lobster were reported landed by commercial lobstermen in Massachusetts, a 1.75 percent decrease from 1996. Based on an average price of $3.26 per pound, the commercial catch was valued at $49,199,969 a 1 .75 percent decrease from 1996. Figure 2. shows the weighted ex- vessel price for 1997 as derived from audits of lobstermen' s records. Remarkably, the weighted average price of $3.26 remained constant at the average ex- vessel price paid in 1996. (Weighted price means that each price is weighted by the number of pounds that were paid at that price instead of taking a flat average of all prices). The coastal license holders reported landing 12,237,839 pounds, or 81.05 percent of the commercial catch, down 2.2 percent from 1996. Of the 15,092,015 pounds of lobster landed commercially, 8,434,199 were reported taken within the territorial waters of the Commonwealth. In total pounds of lobster landed, Essex County continues to be ranked first, Plymouth County second and Barnstable County third. See Table 3 for a breakdown of pounds landed and number of fishermen by license type and county and Table 4 for a five-year comparison of selected landings and effort statistics. Gloucester was the number one port in total pounds landed followed by Marshfield, Plymouth and Sandwich in that order. In total numbers of active commercial fishermen, Essex County ranked first with 556, Plymouth County second with 318 and Bristol County third with 252. Among the cities and towns of the Commonwealth, Gloucester ranked first in active fishermen followed by New Bedford, Plymouth and Marshfield in that order. See Tables 3 and 5, (the shaded areas in Table 5 refer to the top 10 cities in at least one of the two categories: pounds landed and number of fishermen). 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H J: -^ ? ca o < fai u E E 3 O U •a E CS o OS 5 < 0. > fai C/3 Z fa] u 2 0. > H OS Id ' 3 H S = z 2 | 1 ft; fa. ■o 3 c u E u ■a = 3 e 0) >. E in !5 -5 s c c 3 t/5 3 E E . © 1 = -2 f-. E ■a % - -5 * 2 (-; 65 s E vi -v £ c 3 2 k E § b o a. > i> .2 o q fa. a. "51 > O — 75 > ? .2 o « fa. a- > a .a o « g fa. B. > 3 -2 o « a. > S .2 o oo § fa. a. > .2 o "S fa. — > .2 o _ a. 95 > + * Table 4. Massachusetts Commercial Lobster Fishery; Selected Landings (Lbs.) and Effort Statistics, 1993-97 Percent - Five Year 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 Change Total Landings 14,425,864 16,174.818 15,949,362 15,361,045 15,092,015 4.62 Percent Change 12.12 -1.39 -3.69 -1.75 Total Traps Fished 467,180 488,945 482,180 495,651 489,907 4.86 Percent Change 4.66 -1.38 2.79 -1.16 Total Value $41,979,264 $47,068,720 $51,037,958 $50,077,007 $49,199,969 17.20 Percent Change 12.12 8.43 -1.88 -1.75 TERRITORIAL ( Landings 9,124,412 10,498,316 10,040,721 9,109,902 8,434,199 -7.56 Percent Change 15.06 -4.36 -9.27 -7.42 Value $26,552,039 $30,550,100 $32,130,307 $29,698,281 $27,495,489 3.55 Percent Change 15.06 5.17 -7.57 -7.42 Trap Landings 9,061,639 10,430,833 10,027,563 9,076,886 8,419,590 -7.09 15.11 -3.87 -9.48 -7.24 Traps Fished 361,213 365,821 358,075 366,946 351,639 -2.65 1.28 -2.12 2.48 -4.17 Non-Trap Landings 38,948 40,583 13,158 33,016 14,609 -62.49 (Gillnet, Diver) 4.20 -67.58 150.92 -55.75 NON-TERRITORIAL (Outside 3 Miles) Landings 5,301,452 5,676,502 5,908,641 6,251,143 6,657,816 25.58 Percent Change 7.07 4.09 5.80 6.51 Value $15,427,225 $16,518,621 $18,907,651 $20,378,726 $21,704,480 40.69 Percent Change 7.07 14.46 7.78 6.51 Trap Landings 4,315,675 4,634,960 4,994,645 5,331,921 6,038,239 39.91 7.40 7.76 6.75 13.25 Traps Fished 105,967 123,124 124,106 128,704 138,267 30.48 16.19 0.80 3.70 7.43 Non-Trap Landings 985,168 1,041,542 913,996 919,222 619,577 -37.11 (Gillnet, Trawler) 5.72 -12.25 0.57 -32.60 " . :-t- - - -" Average Price ($) / Pound 2.9 1 2.91 3.20 3.26 3.26 Percent Change 0.00 9.97 1.87 0.00 Ave. Lbs. / Trap-Haul 0.6554 0.6976 0.7286 0.7296 0.7721 Percent Change 6.44 4.44 0.14 5.83 Ave. Lbs. / Trap 28.63 30.81 31.15 29.07 29.51 Percent Change 7.62 l.ll -6.69 1.52 10 1 able 5. lyy / Massachusetts Commercial Lobster * ishery Number of Active Commercial Fishermen and Landings by Homeport Does Not Include Seasonal Licenses FISHERMEN POUNDS POUNDS NON- TOTAL " TOWN NUMBER RANK TERRITORIAL TERRITORIAL POUNDS PERCENT RANK BARNSTABLE-YARMOUTH 8 BEVERLY-DANVERS-SALEM 50^ 25 42,519 9 407,972 446,721 195,858 489,240 3.26 11 603,830 4.03 8 BOSTON 62 5 399,340 116,160 515,500 3.44 9 BOURNE 12 21 35,299 0 35,299 0.24 35 CHATHAM-HARWICH 53 8 222,348 214,742 437,090 2.92 13 CHILMARK 22 17 60,813 122,863 183,675 1.23 23 COHASSET 35 12 367,596 59,506 427,102 2.85 15 DARTMOUTH 8 25 8,114 0 8,114 0.05 44 DENNIS-BREWSTER 19 19 85,550 0 85,550 0.57 27 DUXBURY 7 26 61,873 0 61,873 0.41 32 ESSEX 5 27 188 0 188 0.00 45 FAIRHAVEN 46 10 ^160,549 704,444 864,993 5.77 5 FALMOUTH 1 1 22 39,850 17,206 57,056 0.38 33 GLOUCESTER 212 1 970,266 1,948,508 2,918,774 19.47 1 HINGHAM 21 18 249,998 61,767 311,765 2.08 16 HULL 23 16 200,236 64,255 264,491 1.76 17 IPSWICH-ROWLEY 21 18 33,361 676 34,037 0.23 36 KINGSTON 5 27 29,759 0 29,759 0.20 38 LYNN 7 26 44,970 56,029 100,999 0.67 26 MANCHESTER 29 13 191,217 16,274 207,491 1.38 21 MARBLEHEAD 55 7 327,874 103,258 431,133 2.88 14^ MARSHFIELD 79 4 j 839,856 263,972 1,103,828 736 2 MATTAPOISETT 10 23 61,108 15,826 76,933 0.51 29 NAHANT 24 15 163,591 47,224 210,814 1.41 20 NANTUCKET 8 25 16,141 59,174 75,315 0.50 30 NEW BEDFORD 160 NEWBURYPORT-NEWBURY 21 2 208,448 18 67,012 478,122^ 6,129 686,570 4.58 0.49 7 31 73,140 ORLEANS-EASTHAM 22 17 135,722 31,675 167,396 1.12 25 PLYMOUTH 95 3 .844,998 89,683 934,681 6.24 3 PROVINCETOWN 40 11 191,622 21,999 213,621 1.43 19 QUINCY 10 23 7,935 6,907 14,842 0.10 40 REVERE 9 24 171,809 6 409,383 18,352 69,620 190,161 479,003 1.27 3.20 22 12" RpCKPORT 60 SALISBURY 8 25 11,153 3,485 44738 14,638 867,625" 0.10 5.79^ 41 SANDWICH 40 11 420,3X7 in ■* n .-w.-sg ^=i±-. =^_-r-^-_- _ - ^-~~"^-^^^_-^-^—--_~-~^--- . _ ^_^_,- SAUGUS 28 gajUATE-NORWELL ^ 4^ 62 14 216,813 6,884 223,697 1.49 18 Sagis 283,142 217,401 500343 3.34 10 SWAMPSCOTT 24 15 155,611 20,361 175,972 1.17 24 TISBURY-EDGARTOWN-OAK BLUFFS 1 1 22 16,452 37,905 54,356 0.36 34 TRURO 5 27 9,185 0 9,185 0.06 42 WAREHAM-MARION 10 23 27,032 70 27,102 0.18 39 WELLFLEET 4 28 29,115 3,506 32,621 697,446 0.22 4.65 37 BST^RT-SWANSEA-FALL RIVER 40 11 111,345 586,101 WEYMOUTH 4 28 4,630 4,528 9,158 0.06 43 WINTHROP 13 20 84,198 0 84,198 0.56 28 STATEWIDE TOTALS T,498^ ^,426,308 6,564,497^ 14,990,805 U00.00 -""-tH OUTOFSTATE 15 7,891 93,320 101,211 Shaded areas denote towns which rank in the top 10 for number of fishermen or total landings or both. 11 RECREATIONAL LOBSTER FISHERY Recreational statistics are shown in Table 6. Licenses issued in 1997 totaled 1 1,240, up slightly from 1996, with 8,806 or 78 percent, reporting that they fished for lobster. In general, reporting rates dropped slightly and the percentage of license holders fishing increased. Landings decreased by approximately 0.4 percent from 1996. The number of traps fished in the recreational fishery has risen steadily for the past few years. The number of hours dived has continued to decline from 1993 levels. Landings amounted to 336,974 pounds or only 2.2 percent of the commercial landings. It should be noted that those individuals who did not report, were not able to renew their recreational license for 1997. Twenty-two percent of the licenses in the recreational fishery have turned over in the past year; historically, this turn-over rate is not unusual. Table 6. 1997 Massachusetts Recreational Lobster Fishery; License Status and Harvest Information License Type: Diver Diver/Pot Potman Total Percent 1) Number of Licenses Issued in 1997 3,683 3,175 4,382 11,240 2) Number That Reported 2,734 2,656 3,416 8,806 78.35% a) Total Number That Fished 2,111 2,074 2,832 7,017 62.43% b) Total Number That Did Not Fish 623 582 584 1,789 15.92% 3) Number That Did Not Report 963 651 886 2,434 21.65% 4) Number of Lobsters Reported Landed 33,646 69,225 160,390 263,261 Percent Change from 1996 Pounds of Lobsters (Calculated)* 43,067 88,608 205,299 336,974 0.36% 5) Number Pots Fished 7,075 21,325 28,400 1.36% 6) Number of Hours Diving 30,445 26,201 56,646 2.81% * Based on 1.28 Pounds per Lobster. 12 TERRITORIAL FISHERY Territorial landings by commercial fishermen were concentrated in the months of July through November when 83 percent of the yearly harvest was landed. A typical yearly scenario is for catches to increase sometime in mid to late July and peak in August and September. Water temperatures rise during this time inducing growth and subsequent recruitment of previously sub- legal lobsters into the legal size category. The bulk of 1997 landings were distributed July through November with concentrated landings in September and October. Landings in 1 996 reflected a more uniform distribution with concentrations August through October. See Table 7 and Figure 3. The greatest harvest of lobster from territorial waters was from the Boston Harbor vicinity (including the outlying areas which comprise Area 4 on Figure 1A), where approximately 21% of the state's territorial harvest was caught. Table 7. 1997 Massachusetts Commercial Lobster Fishery Percent Monthly Territorial Harvest by License Type Month Coastal Seasonal January 1.17 0.00 February 0.51 0.00 March 0.69 0.00 April 1.34 0.00 May 2.52 0.00 June 4.97 13.33 July 14.58 42.36 August 17.57 33.19 September 18.36 11.12 October 17.72 0.00 November 14.58 0.00 December 5.99 0.00 Total 100.00 100.00 Figure 3. 1997 Massachusetts Commercial Lobster Fishery Total Monthly Territorial Harvest for Coastal and Seasonal License Types 9. 1.5 C/3 > l a x 13 £0.5 E- -t— > o H 0 Total Territorial Harvest = 8,434,199 lbs. 17.59% i^/o 17.70% 14.56% Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jim Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Month 13 Table 8. 1997 Massachusetts Commercial Lobster Fishery Percent Territorial Harvest by Area Fished by License Type Area Fished Coastal Seasonal 1 1.92 2.59 2 16.54 39.33 3 11.47 4.88 4 21.13 0.41 5 10.94 1.08 6 7.97 8.40 7 5.69 5.33 8 11.34 2.30 9 4.23 0.00 10 0.45 33.89 11 0.02 0.00 12 1.15 0.00 13 2.77 0.49 14 4.38 1.30 Total Pounds 8,423,530 10,669 Territorial landings were down 7.2 percent in 1997. Although many areas including Boston Harbor saw notable decreases in their percentage share of territorial landings, a few areas, including Cape Ann and the Outer Cape did show increases for the year. See Figure 1A for the map of fishing areas and Figure 4 and Table 8 for a complete breakdown by area for each license type and month. Offshore license landings are not shown in Figures 3 and 4 because license holders of this type cannot harvest lobsters within territorial waters. Offshore landings are more evenly distributed during the year with offshore potmen landings peaking in autumn and mobile gear landings peaking in the winter months. Figure 5 shows the distribution of all lobster landings by statistical reporting area. in C O Figure 4. 1997 Massachusetts Commercial Lobster Fishery Total Territorial Harvest for Coastal and Seasonal License Types by Area Fished S 3 S C/3 > X 2 Total Territorial Harvest = 8,434,199 lbs. 21.11% 4.37% 14 Figure 5. 1 997 Massachusetts Lobster Fishery; Landings by Statistical Reporting Area -(See Figures 1 A & IB for References to Reporting Areas) DEBTTCIt PHILIP COMES N Mir-"' "r Eaeecutttx Offux of bwinrmentMl Affair* - 1W9 Scale =1:3,120,000 0 miles 20 40 60 80 LEGEND 0-250,000 LBS (N=10) □ 250,001 -500,000 LBS (N = 6) PI 500,001 -1,000,000 LBS (N = 4) ■ 1,000,001 -2,000,000 LBS (N = 4) 2,000,001 -3,000,000 LBS (N = 1) 44 00 00 43 00 00 42 00 00 4100 00 40 00 00 v--' »V 'I f I I | I I I I I | I I I I I | I II I I | II I I I j I || M | I 7100 00 70 00 00 69 00 00 68 00 00 67 00 00 66 00 00 15 CATCH RATES The average catch per trap haul for coastal lobstermen was .6902 pounds, an increase from 1996. For traps fished one set-over day the average was, .4342; for those fished two days, .5901, for three days, .6791, and for four days, .7418. See Figure 6 for catch effort by set-over day. Figures 7 and 8 show the average catch per trap-haul - set-over day for area fished and month, where set-over day is factored into the effort. The average catch per trap haul - set-over day for 1997 was .2267, a eleven percent increase from 1996 and a fourteen percent increase from 1992. Overall these figures should be categorized as "estimates" since, in many cases, fishermen will estimate the number of traps hauled per trip for each month. If a fisherman leaves this information blank, the catch report is returned for corrections. If the combination of maximum traps, set-over days, average traps hauled per trip and number of trips per month is out of range for a particular month, the information is interpolated by Division statistics personnel and then factored into the analysis. Figure 6. 1997 Massachusetts Commercial Lobster Fishery Catch per Unit of Effort by Set-Over Day for Coastal Potmen and All Potmen 1.5 X I '— a, 5 o Coastal License Potmen All Potmen 0.5 0 7 8 9 10 Set-Over Days n 12 13 14 15 + 16 Figure 7. 1997 Massachusetts Commercial Lobster Fishery Catch per Unit of Effort for Coastal and All Potmen by Month 0.4 £ *— > 9 -*— > in 3 Sj X H s-h a, o o 0.3 0.2 0.1 0 Coastal License Potmen All Potmen Average CPUE for All Potmen = 0.2267 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Month Figure 8. 1997 Massachusetts Commercial Lobster Fishery Catch per Unit of Effort for All License Types by Area Fished 0.4 Areas 1 - 14 = Massachusetts Territorial Waters See Figure 1 A for Map 17 FISHING GEAR, VESSELS AND VALUE In the commercial fishery, traps were valued at $28,185,978, diving gear at $42,159 and power and non-power boats at $65,524,673 yielding a total gear value of $93,752,810. Combined with the ex-vessel value of lobster sold, $49,199,969 this gives a total fishery value of $ 1 42,952,779. See Tables 9, 1 0 and 1 1 . Overall, 85% of the traps fished in the commercial fishery were wire framed, with 14% being wooden framed and approximately 0.6% categorized as "other". Average value (including warp and buoy) ranged anywhere from $43.52 to $103.92 with an average value of $57.64. See Table 9. Table 9. 1 997 Massachusetts Commercial Lobster Fishery Trap Types Fished and Value by License Type Total Coastal Offshore Seasonal Trap Type Percent of Total Wooden Framed Traps Value Value/Trap 64,524 $3,388,055 $52.51 4,561 99 69,184 $473,232 $4,828 $3,866,115 $103.76 $49.00 $55.88 14.15% Wire Framed Traps Value Value/Trap 379,742 $21,130,000 $55.64 36,530 618 416,891 $2,955,050 $26,918 $24,111,968 $80.89 $43.52 $57.84 85.25% Other Trap Types Value Value/Trap 1,963 $104,405 $53.20 979 25 2,967 $101,740 $1,750 $207,895 $103.92 $70.00 $70.08; 0.61% Total for License Type Value Value/Trap 446,229 $24,622,460 $55.18 42,070 742 489,041 $3,530,022 $33,496 $28,185,978 $83.91 $45.14 $57.64 Value of trap includes warp and buoy. 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Z © ft. o >- - M « m I- u ; ii O oo ^ m u £ C 4) "** :e i i a £ z o I- - M S g S n>5 >• > 5 S5£l 5 a o ■- - ffl oi 2 « I I = Q ft. Z o ft. o * S g t g M u £ «. C OI ■■ os •> i = O a o o g Q ft. Z 03 o g 8 g t S > * S 5J q <£ z R O 00 8 g *> o 01 C OI "■ 5 :e I © g a a. z I -J O OI R = 5 •- 93 © 00 0 ¥ eo £ T ° 01 ■" M ft. z s s O oo 01 b s Oi II a VALIDITY OF DATA Each year 150 coastal license holders are selected for audit and asked to submit the records they used to complete the harvest portion of their catch report. The Division does this to help estimate the amount of error involved in the reporting process. Selection is done randomly except when fishermen fail an audit. In these cases, they are audited again the following year. The audit was first instituted in 1977 for the 1976 catch reports. Over the last five years the lobstermen selected for audit reported landing 7,254,220 pounds. The audit of their records revealed a harvest of 7,224,527 pounds or a difference of 0.4 percent. Last year the fishermen selected for audit reported harvesting 1,1 14,788 pounds of lobster on their 1997 catch reports. The audit of actual records showed total landings of 1,082,533 pounds, a difference of 32,255 pounds or 2.9 percent. Ten of the randomly selected fishermen have yet to respond to the audit request. Figure 9 shows the distribution of the percent difference between the selected fishermen's reported catch and their audited records. In general, reported landings are very well documented by dealer receipts and/or personal records, especially by the so-called "high-liners" in the fishery. Most of the lobstermen have had licenses for several years and know what is required in terms of reporting their fishing activities and have been informed of the value of accurate reporting in the development of management plans. They also know that their reported information is kept strictly confidential and published only in aggregate form. These factors all contribute to a conscientious and responsible reporting constituency. Figure 9. Massachusetts Commercial Lobster Fishery Frequency Distribution of the Percent Difference Between Fishermen's Reported Catch and Their Audited Records DV - Overall Percent 40 ~ Difference = 2.9% Over-reported ^30 cr - Under-reported £ 20 — 10 - r\ I 1 ■ ■ .Hull lilliiii . . ■In ii iii -60 -40 -20 0 20 Percent Difference 40 60 Number of Fishermen Audited = 140 21 Figure 10. Coastal Map of Massachusetts Showing County Boundaries WRBTTOR PHILIP CCHTES — — County Border Town Border Territorial Reporting Areas 22 w&wi ■ H Em.' ■ ■ I > S: ■ Em ■ .'-'. RBM fide*! (§1 ■ m HOSiSI ■ *,. II ■ ; ■ kt I >DkrS , I n&J »v ■ tatf si* »«& *( ■ "Nip-, I ■■I