University of Massachusetts Amherst I B R A R Y Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2013 with funding from Boston Library Consortium Member Libraries http://archive.org/details/massachusettslob1992mass ■ ■ I 4 H ami GOVERNMENT DOCUMENTS COLLECTION JAN 1 0 1995 University of Massachusetts Depository Copy MASSACHUSETTS DIVISION OF MARINE FISHERIES 1993 MASSACHUSETTS LOBSTER FISHERY STATISTICS by David C. McCarron Fisheries Economist and Thomas B. Hoopes Systems Analyst Statistics and Management Information Systems Project Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries Cat Cove Marine Laboratory 92 Fort Avenue Salem, Massachusetts 01970 (508) 745-3113 Technical Series 28 A contribution of Interjurisdictional Fisheries Act (P.L. 99-659) Project (NA16FI0029) The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs Trudy Coxe, Secretary Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Environmental Law Enforcement John C. Phillips, Commissioner Division of Marine Fisheries Philip G. Coates, Director INTRODUCTION The commercial lobster fishery of Massachusetts is, economically, the most important fishery conducted within the territorial waters of the Commonwealth. The overall economic 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. Initially, 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, the New England Fisheries Management Council, in cooperation with the Mid-Atlantic Council, has developed and implemented a management plan for the entire east coast lobster fishery. The basis and success of any such plan is an accurate statistical data base. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, with joint funding from the National Marine Fisheries Service, has been collecting annual reports from licensed lobster fishermen since the early 1960's. Historically, the data collected was used primarily for descriptive and informational purposes, and occasionally for management. With the recent emphasis on Federal management, however, these data take on added importance in terms of providing the respective management agencies with adequate information to insure that the interests of Massachusetts' lobstermen are addressed. 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. In 1981, a statutory change provided for 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. In subsequent years, 80 list permits and 20 special additional permits were issued until 1988, when 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 DMF establishing broader eligibility criteria and procedures for the transfer of Coastal Commercial Lobster Permits. The number of permits has declined from an all time high of 1,865 in 1988 to a more manageable 1,610 licenses today, and the new system has allowed for more orderly turnover in the industry and continued contraction in the number of coastal licenses. 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. The major conditions on these transfers are that the license has been actively fished for four out of the past five years as evidenced by catch reports filed with the Division. Also, the person to whom the permit is transferred must document 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. The status of transfers for calendar year 1993 is summarized on Page 2. This report is the twenty - seventh annual publication of data summarized from catch reports submitted by licensed lobster fishermen. Data were presented in a standardized format through 1979. In 1980, presentation was changed to reflect a more thorough collection and evaluation of the submitted information. This publication represents the eighth year in which data processing and evaluation were completely computerized. It is the fourth year in which data is presented to 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 made to the Division's Statistics Project in Salem, MA: (508) 745-3113. This report has been prepared by personnel from the Division of Marine Fisheries Statistics and Management Information Systems Project, funded jointly by the Commonwealth and the National Marine Fisheries Service under the Interjurisdictional Fisheries Act (Public Law 9.9-659). 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, and to Gerald Nash for his help in Oracle development and report generation. Thanks also goes to Charlie Anderson, who heads up the project, for his continual help with system development, upgrades and suggestions concerning this publication. These three people have as integral a part in this process as we do, and without them this publication would not be possible. The authors also wish to acknowledge the assistance of Bruce Estrella and Mike Armstrong from our Lobster Biology Project and Eileen Feeney 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 September 22, 1994 and are not expanded to represent all of the permits issued in 1993. 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 is to create more options for lobstermen who wish to retire and leave this limited entry fishery. During calendar year 1993, the Division facilitated the transfer of 46 coastal lobster licenses; 12 prior to the implementation of the new regulations and 34 after. Eighteen of the transfers went to 'captains' who were authorized to fish another holder's license and had fished that holder's license for at least twelve months prior to transfer. Seventeen transfers were conducted within the holder's immediate family as was allowed prior to the new legislation. Seven of the transfers were made directly from the holder to sternmen with documented fishing history. Four lobstermen advertised their coastal lobster businesses to persons on a waiting list maintained by the Division and transferred to the interested parties and finally, the Division issued 15 coastal lobster permits directly to waiting list applicants. These fifteen licenses were among 30 total licenses that were forfeited to the Division in 1993, the other fifteen 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 lobster activity taking place within the territorial waters (3 mile line) of the Commonwealth (Areas 1-14 on Figure 1A); the "non-territorial" category refers to all data outside those coordinates (Areas 15-25 on Figure IB). This is a departure from years past when data were separated into inshore / offshore components. In 1990, the statistical reporting map was revised to reflect the territorial / non-territorial breakdown because it reflects a better estimate of territorial landings, it takes care of the confusing issue of an "offshore" permit holder fishing in "inshore" waters as in years past, and it conforms to the National Marine Fisheries Service's statistical reporting areas. Figures 1A and IB show the areas as defined for 1993. Figure 1A. 1993 Massachusetts Lobster Fishery; Statistical Reporting Map Showing Territorial Waters and Outlying Areas Hap produced in cooperation »ilh M.jjCIS i Depl. of Fisheries. fiUtifc and Environmental Lit Enforcement's GIS Program. Scale = 1:110,000 0 miles 10 20 30 Description of Boundaries for Territorial Areas Boundaries Between Areas Between Areas 11 12 13 14 k 15 is B k 9 9 4 10 9 it 11 10 k 12 10 It 13 Castle Neek, Ipswich, Gales Point, Manchester Red Rock, Ljnn Strawberry Point, Cohasset High Pines Ledge, Plynnoulh Scnsselt Beach, Sandwich 120 Foot Line 70 Degree Longitude Line 70 Degree Longitude Line 41 Degree 20 Binute Longitude Line lasque Point, XV to Muskeret Island, Nantucket Succonnesset Point, Mashpee to Cape Pogue, MV Boundaries 70 Degree Longitude Line , . 41 Degree 20 Binute Longitude Line Elizabeth Islands and Sow k Pigs Reef to 41 Degree 20 Minute Longitude Line 70 Degree Longitude Line Areas 1 - 14 = territorial waters. Parts of area 10 (Nantucket Sound) are federal waters, but are managed bj DMF. b ' \ \ \ s ;41 r\\ \ Figure IB. 1993 Massachusetts Lobster Fishery; Statistical Reporting Map Showing Offshore Areas (which correspond to the National Marine Fisheries Service statistical areas) lap fttiveei in tioieritiu »ith MisjCIS t left. .1 Fiikeriti, Wildlife «Dd Ennr»ncMnU] Lit Enforcement 'i GIS Progrun. Areas 15 through 25 are the same geographic areas as the National Marine Fisheries Service statistical areas eicept There the Massachusetts territorial line runs through them. Offshore lobster license holders may land lobsters from areas 15 through 25 only Scale = 1:290,000 20 40 80 miles i n Below is a brief definition of each lobster license type, both commercial and non-commercial, describing their entitlement. 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 and the catch may not be sold. In all cases, the legal minimum size of a harvestable lobster was a 3 1/4 inch carapace length in 1993. As promulgated by the New England Fishery Management Council in cooperation with lobster producing states in New England and the Mid-Atlantic, 1990 was the "off-year" of a 5-year program to increase the minimum legal size from 3 3/16 to 3 5/16 inches by January of 1992 through four 1/32 inch increases. However, the 5-year program was stalled at the end of 1990 and the planned increases in 1991 and 1992 were put on hold until a study of the economic impact of the program could be evaluated. 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 its 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 1.25 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 Sandwich, MA at (508) 888-1155. Where tables refer to county, the reader is referred to Figure 10. ISSUED LICENSES AND REPORTING STATUS Table 1 lists the number of licenses, both commercial and recreational, issued in 1993, the total value in terms of fees collected and the number that reported catching lobster. There were 2,412 commercial lobster licenses issued during 1993: 1,627 coastal, 711 offshore and 74 seasonal. Non-commercial licenses issued totaled 11,192, a breakdown of their reporting status and landings can be found in Table 6. As of September 22, 1994, a total of 126 licensed commercial lobstermen (5.2 percent) failed to file a catch report with the Division. Of the 2,286 commercial fishermen who reported, 568 or 24 percent claimed they did not catch any lobster during 1993. It is interesting to note the steady decline of coastal licenses issued over the last four years as a result of the 1988 moratorium placed on the issuance of new licenses. An annual decrease of approximately two percent per year continued in 1993 driven by fishermen leaving the fishery and the Division's policy to retire half of these licenses received through attrition. The number of offshore licensees catching lobster over the last five years continues to rise, up 54 percent over 1989, with the number of licenses levelling off after a five year decline. Student commercial licenses have increased in both 1992 and 1993 with a 42 percent increase in the number of license issued over 1991. Table 1. 1993 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) 1,627 $423,020 1,195 73% 412 25% 20 1% Offshore Commercial ($ 260) 710 $184,600 479 67% 148 21% 83 12% Seasonal (Student) Commercial ($ 65) 74 $4,810 44 59% 8 11% 22 30% Non-Commercial ($ 40) 11,192 $447,680 7,128 64% L438 13% 2,626 23% Total 13,603 $1,060,110 8,846 65% 2,006 15% 2,751 20% Table 2. Massachusetts Commercial Lobster Fishery; Selected Licensing Information, 1989 - 1993 Percent Five 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 Year Change Coastal Licenses Issued 1,782 1,727 1,682 1,647 1,627 -8.70% % Change -3.09 -2.61 -2.08 -1.21 "Caught Lobster" 1,333 1,281 1,230 1,185 1,195 % Change -0.84 -1.41 -1.61 2.08 "Did Not Catch Lobster" 422 420 437 445 412 % Change 2.70 6.83 3.99 -6.28 Not Reporting 27 26 15 17 20 % Change -0.64 -40.76 15.74 19.09 Percent Not Reporting 1 .5% 1 .5% 0.9% 1.0% 1.2% Offshore Licenses Issued 774 738 717 710 711 -8.14% % Change -4.65 -2.85 -0.98 0.14 "Caught Lobster" 339 417 439 439 479 % Change 29.01 8.36 0.99 8.96 "Did Not Catch Lobster" 338 207 208 196 148 % Change -35.77 3.43 -4.84 -24.60 Not Reporting 97 114 70 75 84 % Change 23.26 -36.80 8.20 11.84 Percent Not Reporting 12.5% 15.4% 9.8% 10.6% 11.8% Seasonal (Student) Licenses Issued 82 67 52 59 74 -9.76% % Change -18.29 -22.39 13.46 25.42 "Caught Lobster" ■ 49 40 29 29 44 % Change -0.09 -6.59 -11.86 51.72 . "Did Not Catch Lobster" 1 3 6 8 9 8 % Change -43.51 71.79 -0.85 -ii.il Not Reporting 20 21 15 19 22 % Change 28.51 -7.97 11.64 15.79 Percent Not Reporting 24.4% 3 1.3% 28.8% 32.2% 29.7% Note: All annual percentage changes are normalized to the number of licenses issued for each license type in each year. Percent five year change is absolute. LANDINGS AND VALUE In 1993, 14,425,864 pounds of lobster were reported landed by commercial lobstermen in Massachusetts, a 3.62 percent decrease from 1992. Based on an average price of $2.91 per pound, the commercial catch was valued at $41,979,264, a 5.9 percent decrease. Figure 2 shows the weighted ex-vessel price for 1993 as derived from audited lobstermen's records. The weighted average price of $2.91 is a slight decrease from the $2.98 paid in 1992. (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). Regional differences in price are typical with lower prices usually paid in Boston. The coastal license holders reported landing 11,119,505 pounds, or 77.1 percent of the commercial catch, down five percent from 1992. Of the 14,425,864 pounds of lobster landed commercially, 9,124,412 were reported taken within the territorial waters of the Commonwealth. In total pounds of lobster landed, Essex County continues to be rank number one, 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. Trap and non-trap landings and the number of traps fished are not available for years prior to 1990, as shown in Table 4, since the statistical reporting map was changed in 1990. These figures are available for the old "inshore / offshore" designations only (see 1989 and prior year's reports). Gloucester ranked as the number one port in total pounds landed followed by Boston, Sandwich and Plymouth, respectively. In total numbers of active commercial fishermen, Essex County ranked first with 597, Plymouth County second with 323 and Bristol County third with 289. Gloucester ranked first in active fishermen followed by New Bedford, Boston and Plymouth, respectively. 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 or number of fishermen). 7 - 5 -d ' i-> NO •<• M- M no t~ f M 00 Vi V) « « « •»> OM on r- r* s.s. in oo no M Ol M <»1 «•! M v> vi r» saw io t~ •- - nn VI T Irt « <»> »-i M 00 O. On n. ^. TO ON l»> W) © i»> no «n :■:•:•:■*•*:■:•:■:■:•:■:■:■ «n vj. cj, r^ VJ. 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Massachusetts Commercial Lobster Fishery; Selected Landings (Lbs.) and Effort Statistics, 1989-93 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 Percent Five Year Change Total Landings Percent Change 14,610,078 16,567,377 13.40 15,986,991 -3.50 14,967,260 -6.38 14,425,864 -3.62 -1.26 Total Traps Fished Percent Change 453,447 458,280 1.07 485,924 6.03 477,836 -1.66 467,180 -2.23 3.03 Total Value Percent Change $41,200,420 $40,755,747 -1.08 $43,644,485 7.09 $44,602,435 2.19 $41,979,264 -5.88 1.89 TERRITORIAL (Inside 3 Miles) Landings (see note below) Percent Change 10,391,098 12,260,805 17.99 11,001,384 -10.27 9,658,545 -12.21 9,124,412 -5.53 -12.19 Value Percent Change $29,302,896 $30,161,580 2.93 $30,033,778 -0.42 $28,782,464 -4.17 $26,552,039 -7.75 -9.39 Trap Landings * 12,223,266 10,977,053 -10.20 9,626,941 -12.30 9,061,639 -5.87 Traps Fished * 385,201 397,951 3.31 376,901 -5.29 361,213 -4.16 Non-Trap Landings (Gillnet, Diver) * 37,539 24,331 -35.18 31,604 29.89 38,948 23.24 • • : ,., .., ,:, Landings (see note below) Percent Change 4,218,980 4,306,572 2.08 4,985,607 15.77 5,308,715 6.48 5,301,452 -0.14 25.66 Value Percent Change $11,897,524 $10,594,167 -10.95 $13,610,707 28.47 $15,819,971 16.23 $15,427,225 -2.48 29.67 Trap Landings * 3,616,544 4,166,974 15.22 4,296,329 3.10 4,315,675 0.45 Traps Fished * 73,079 87,973 20.38 100,935 14.73 105,967 4.99 Non-Trap Landings (Gillnet, Trawler) * 690,028 818,633 18.64 1,012,387 23.67 985,168 -2.69 Average Price ($) / Pound Percent Change 2.82 2.46 -12.77 2.73 10.98 2.98 9.16 2.91 -2.35 Ave. Lbs. / Trap-Haul Percent Change 0.6601 0.7336 11.13 0.7008 ^.47 0.6309 -9.97 0.6554 3.88 Ave. Lbs. / Trap Percent Change 31.00 34.56 11.50 31.17 -9.83 29.14 -6.50 28.63 -1.73 * Figures not available for these years, only inshore/offshore breakdown available. See explanation in text. Territorial and non-territorial landings for 1989 were calculated based on the lobsterman's estimate of the percent of his caught from territorial waters. total landings 10 Table 5. 1993 Massachusetts Commercial Lobster Fishery Number of Active Commercial Fishermen and Landings by Homeport Does Not Include Seasonal Licenses TOWN FISHERMEN NUMBER RANK POUNDS TERRITORIAL POUNDS NON- TERRITORIAL TOTAL POUNDS PERCENT RANK BARNSTABLE-YARMOUTH BEVERLY BOSTON BOURNE CHATHAM CHILMARK COHASSET DANVERS DARTMOUTH DENNIS-BREWSTER DUXBURY ESSEX EAIRHAVEN FALMOUTH-GOSNOLD GLOUCESTER HARWICH HtNGHAM HULL IPSWICH-ROWLEY KINGSTON LYNN MANCHESTER MARBLEHEAIJ MARSHFTELD MATTAPOISETT NAHANT nantucket new bedford newburyport-newbury orleans-eastham Plymouth provincetown quincy-braintree revere-chelsea rockport SALEM SALISBURY SANDWICH SAUGUS SCITUATE SWAMPSCOTT TISBURY-EDGARTOWN-OAK BLUFFS TRURO WAREHAM-MARION WELLFLEET WESTPORT-SWANSEA-FALL PJVER WEYMOUTH WESTTHROP 14 47 114 !9 44 18 41 11 9 22 10 8 41 14 218 5 27 31 27 5 11 28 55 74 11 29 8 201 22 20 89 39 8 8 59 7 7 41 33 62 26 17 8 9 6 42 5 16 29 9 3 35 10 26 14 32 37 23 34 42 13 30 1 46 20 17 21 48 31 19 8 5 33 18 39 2 24 25 4 15 40 38 ■ 11 44 43 12 16 III 22 27 41 36 45 11 47 28 16,537 575,672 592,209 456,590 122,405 578,995 1,027,492 252,111 U79.602 42,577 2/450 45,027 164.975 98,880 263,855 42,409 407,450 62,911 9,010 102,574 65,082 4,137 133,617 22,631 872,564 37,138 462,498 259,506 41,907 18,239 173,188 145,934 388,978 515,895 47,777 292,148 21,201 102,647 39,976 105,228 756,061 145,443 32,675 193,337 335,817 6,033 16,628 395,339 276,042 355,564 207,915 26,356 25,808 27,867 32,533 68,585 19,749 96,954 126,313 57,568 1,308 0 888 0 9 599,121 3,521 730,928 113,815 47,695 35,155 789 0 10,757 22,346 62,713 170,716 0 23,832 41,820 655i683 25,172 18,870 27,535 26,186 5,213 0 38,207 0 2,200 622,929 7,718 226,996 616 10,684 0 250 1,311 450,252 10,479 0 168,722 465,017 64,219 9,010 103,462 65,082 4,146 732^737 26,151 1,603,492 150,953 510,193 294,661 42,696 18,239 183,944 168,280 451,691 686,611 47,777 315,980 63,021 758,330 65,149 124,098 783,596 171,629 37,887 193,337 374,024 6,033 18,828 1,018,268 283,760 582,560 208,531 37,040 25,808 28,117 33,844 518,836 30,228 96,954 4.13 4.04 8.93 0.31 1.84 1.18 3.24 0.45 0.06 0.72 0.45 0.03 5.11 0.18 11.19 1.05 3.56 2.06 0.30 0.13 1.28 1.17 3.15 4:79 0.33 2.20 0.44 5.29 0.45 0.87 ::-5.47'-: 1.20 0.26 1.35 2.61 0.04 0.13 7.10 1.98 4.06 1.45 0.26 0.18 0.20 0.24 3.62 0.21 0.68 8 10 2 J.5.. 19 24 13 32 46 28 31 48 6 42 1 26 12 17 36 45 22 25 14 7 34 16 33 5 30 27 :4i 23 37 21 111 47 44 3 18 111 20 38 43 41 39 11 40 29 STATEWIDE TOTAL 1,657 9,101,519 5y231,l 10 14,332,629 100.00 OUT OF STATE 16 Shaded areas denote towns which rank in the top 1 0 for number of fishermen or total landings or both. 10,811 69,643 80,454 11 RECREATIONAL LOBSTER FISHERY Recreational statistics are shown in Table 6. Licenses issued in 1993 totalled 11,192, down slightly from 1992, with 7,128, or 64 percent, reporting that they fished for lobster. In general, reporting rates improved slightly and the percentage of license holders fishing increased. Landings declined about five percent from 1992 and effort, in terms of number of traps fished and number of hours dived, declined noticeably from 1992 levels. Landings amounted to 384,270 pounds or only 2.7 percent of commercial landings. Often there are concerns by the commercial sector that recreational fishermen have a detrimental effect on the resource. This obviously is not the case, as these figures illustrate. It should be noted that those individuals who did not report, were not able to renew their recreational license for 1994. The total number of licenses issued is continuing on a downward trend, off 9 percent from 1990 and one quarter of the participants in the recreational fishery have turned over in the past year; historically, this kind of turn-over rate is not unusual. Table 6. 1993 Massachusetts Recreational Lobster Fishery; License Status and Harvest Information License Type: Diver Diver/Pot Potman Method Unknown Total Percent 1) Number of Licenses Issued in 1993 4,122 3335 3,735 0 11,192 2) Number That Reported 2,969 2,665 2,932 0 8,566 76.54% a) Total Number That Fished 2,438 2,221 2,469 0 7,128 63.69% b) Total Number That Did Not Fish 531 444 463 0 1,438 12.85% 3) Number That Did Not Report 1,204 696 857 0 0 2,626 23.46% 4) Number of Lobsters Reported Landed 51,735 85,515 171,153 308,403 Percent Change from 1992 Pounds of Lobsters (Calculated)* 64,462 106,552 213,257 0 384,270 -4.71% 5) Number Pots Fished 6,829 19,239 0 26,068 -14.77% 6) Number of Hours Diving 37,324 34,004 0 71,328 -7.34% * Based on 1 .25 Pounds per Lobster. 12 Territorial landings by commercial fishermen were concentrated during the months July through November when 78 percent of the yearly harvest was landed. A typical scenario from year to year is where catch increases sometime in mid to late July and peaks 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 1993 season was notably different in that a September or October peak was not as pronounced and volume of landings was more spread out than usual over May through December. See Table 7 and Figure 3. The greatest harvest of lobster taken from territorial waters was from the Boston Harbor vicinity (including outlying areas out to the territorial line or Area 4 on Figure 1A), where approximately 35% of the state's territorial harvest was caught. This far outweighs any of the other designated areas in terms of landings. Table 7. 1 993 Massachusetts Commercial Lobster Fishery Percent Monthly Territorial Harvest by License Type Month Coastal Seasonal January 1.56 0.00 February 0.45 0.00 March 0.39 0.00 April 1.04 0.00 May 5.35 0.00 June 7.45 17.84 July 13.11 35.47 August 16.70 32.84 September 17.14 13.86 October 16.55 0.00 November 14.29 0.00 December 5.96 0.00 Total 100.00 100.00 Figure 3. 1993 Massachusetts Commercial Lobster Fishery Total Monthly Territorial Harvest for Coastal and Seasonal License Types &0 on o 1.5 Figure 4. 1993 Massachusetts Commercial Lobster Fishery Total Territorial Harvest for Coastal and Seasonal License Types by Area Fished 34.86% Total Territorial Harvest = 9,059,867 lbs. '3.18% 2.97% 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Area 14 Figure 5. Hap prWiced in cooperation titb MisjCIS t Dept . •{ Fiiieriei, liUIMt >>d Eivirtmeitil Lit Enforcement '■ GIS Program. 1993 Massachusetts Lobster Fishery Landings by Statistical Reporting Area See Figures 1A k IB for Reference to Reporting Areas Scale = 1:250,000 Legend 20 40 SO 00 miles 1 - 500,000 LBS 500,001 - 1,000,000 LBS 7 1,000,001 - 2,000,000 LBS 2,000,001 - 3,000,000 LBS 3,000,001 - 4,000,000 LBS 15 CATCH RATES The average catch per trap haul for coastal lobstermen was .5767 pounds, an increase from 1992. For traps fished one set-over day the average was, .3255; for those fished two days, .4968; for three days, .5660; and for four days, .6347. See Figure 6 for catch effort by set-over day. Figures 7 and 8 reflect 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 1993 was .1951, a one percent decrease from 1992 and a twelve percent decrease from 1991. 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. 1993 Massachusetts Commercial Lobster Fishery Catch per Unit of Effort by Set-Over Day for Coastal Potmen and All Potmen 3 X i Oh 5- a. 1.5 1 - o Oh 0.5 0 Coastal License Potmen All Potmen 1 7 8 9 Set-Over Days 10 n 12 13 14 15 + 16 Figure 7. 1993 Massachusetts Commercial Lobster Fishery Catch per Unit of Effort for Coastal and All Potmen by Month 0.4 & Q I* > o I 00 0.3 3 ed ffi ■ a. a g, u a, CO -a o Oh 0.2 - 0.1 0 - Coastal License Potmen All Potmen w - - \ / Average CPUE for All Potmen = 0.1951 i .. i i i i i i i i i i i 6 7 Month 8 10 11 12 0.4 Figure 8. 1993 Massachusetts Commercial Lobster Fishery Catch per Unit of Effort for All License Types by Area Fished Areas 1 - 14 = Massachusetts Territorial Waters See Figure 1 A for Map 6 7 8 9 Area Fished 10 11 12 13 14 17 FISHING GEAR, VESSELS AND VALUE In the commercial fishery, traps were valued at $24,250,940, diving gear at $42,297, and power and non-power boats at $44,809,964, yielding a total gear value of $69,103,201. Combined with the ex-vessel value of lobster sold, $41,979,264, gives a total fishery value of $111,082,465. See Tables 9, 10 and 11. Overall, 78% of the traps fished in the commercial fishery were wire framed, with 22% being wooden framed and less than 1% categorized as "other". This supports a continuing trend of increasing wire traps employed in the fishery. Average value (including warp and buoy) ranged anywhere from $34.41 to $78.01, with an overall average of $52.07. See Table 9. Table 9. 1993 Massachusetts Commercial Lobster Fishery Trap Types Fished and Value by License Type Total Percent Coastal Offshore Seasonal Trap Type ofTotal Wooden Framed Traps 86,983 14,005 122 101410 21.71% Value $4,175,103 $1,092,595 $4,192 $5,271,890 Value/Trap $48.00 $78.01 $34.41 $52.14 Wire Framed Traps 325,124 37,474 744 363,342 78.01% Value $16,220,000 $2,658,252 $28,124 $18,906,376 Value/Trap $49.89 $70.94 $37.79 $52.03 Other Trap Types 1,304 0 0 1,304 0.28% Value $72,675 $0 $0 $72,675 Value/Trap $55.74 $55.74 Total for License Type Value Value/Tr,ap 413,410 51,479 866 465,755 $24,250,940 $20,467,778 $4951 $3,750,847 $72.86 $32,315 $37.32 $52.07 Value of trap includes warp and buoy. These figures include out-of-state fishermen. 18 n 9i r- * v n oo «s so V> :-**-:^rx-::-:-:' •*>■:••.•:•:•:•:•:•:•:•: oo *» "W v> P* >0 «-l V» f 80 on «* » 3 2 5S v> « ■NO on «0 3® 322 :3- r- — «t On r* On y> 0X3 to <*■ o L. E 3 z L. 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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 6,691,067 pounds. The audit of their records revealed a harvest of 6,768,823 pounds or a difference of 1.15 percent. Last year the fishermen selected for audit reported harvesting 1,147,602 pounds of lobster on their 1993 catch reports. The audit of their actual records showed total landings of 1,127,785 pounds, a difference of 19,817 pounds or 1.73 percent. Fifteen 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 in addition to 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 fairly 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 Z>U - Overall Percent 40 - • Difference =1.73% Over-reported ^30 a 3 cr 0) - Under-reported £ 20 ~~ 10 1 il 0 i ii i ii ilillilll llil Ii 1 'Il 1 -60 -40 Number of Fishermen Audited = 149 ■20 0 20 Percent Difference 40 60 21 Figure 10. Coastal Map of Massachusetts Showing County Borders Nip ptttacei in etoteriliti vi lb H.ssGIS k Pcit. •( rilkeriti, liHlife u< liririMMital Lit Siforcemtit'i GIS Prtjrun. County L i ne Terr i tor i a I Li Scale = 1:80,000 NANTUCKET 22 / J / ~ I | i c o OmSJ to fcr« II b«E8 M HE ^ '• ■ ' ' ■ ■ mm. M ■