University of Massachusetts Amherst Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2013 with funding from Boston Library Consortium Member Libraries http://archive.org/details/massachusettslob1995mass H I ■ ■ ■ 9 r ■ - ■ a^. • I ■ V 1 K 8 •■ ^H I .; .<>?* ^Hl in A*H Hvi uKsl ^J JH ■ 7T»I"a eeTiTHijcoeT _ \/ UMASS/AMHERST I aaEDbboibSHaDEfl . . . **& MASSACHUSETTS DIVISION OF MARINE FISHERIES 1995 MASSACHUSETTS LOBSTER FISHERY STATISTICS by Jonathan A. Pava Fisheries Statistician and David C. McCarron Fisheries Economist and Thomas B. Hoopes Systems Analyst Information Systems and Fisheries Statistics Project Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries Cat Cove Marine Laboratory 92 Fort Avenue Salem, Massachusetts 01970 (508)745-3113 Technical Series 30 A contribution of Interjurisdictional Fisheries Act (P.L.99-659) Project (NA65FI0077) 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 Publication No. 17853 - 26 -120 - 10/96 - .64 - C.R. Approved by: Philmore Anderson III, State Purchasing Agent 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 198 1, 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 1,609 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 1995 is described on Page 2. This report is the twenty - ninth 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 tenth 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 Salem, MA: (508) 745-3 1 13. 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, and to Gerald Nash for his help in Oracle development and report generation. 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 three 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 3 1 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 July 12, 1996 and are not expanded to represent all of the permits issued in 1995. 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 1995, the Division authorized the transfer of 55 coastal lobster licenses. Twenty four 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. Seven transfers were allowed within the holder's immediate family (and would also have been allowed prior to the new regulation). Nine transfers were made directly from the holder to a sternman with a documented fishing history. Fifteen lobstermen advertised their coastal lobster businesses to persons on a waiting list maintained by the Division and subsequently transferred their permits. Sixteen licenses were forfeited to the Division in 1995; eight of these coastal lobster permits were issued directly to waiting list applicants, and the remaining eight 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 1A. 1995 Massachusetts Lobster Fishery; Statistical Reporting Map Showing Territorial Waters and Outlying Areas Division of Marine HtiMries DtRBCTCK FHLIP COOTS N • Um 0(fa f fam b »H Af*» - OM Scale = 1:1,320,000 0 miles 10 20 30 Descnpooc of Boundaries for TernonaJ Areas Betueen Between Areas Boundaries Areas Boundaries 1 & 2 Castle Neck, Ipswich -Territorial Line 11 & 12 70 Degree Longitude Line 2 & 3 Gales Pi Manchester -Territorial Line 12 & 13 41 Degree 20 Minute Longitude Line 3 & 4 Red Rock, Lynn -Territorial Line 13 & 14 Elizabeth Islands and Sow & Pigs Reef 4& 5 Strawberry Pt, Cobasset - Territorial Line to Territorial Line 5 & 6 High Pines Ledge, Plymouth - 120 Foot Line 14 & 15 70 Degree Longitude Line to Territorial Line 6&7 Scussett Beach, Sandwich - 120 Foot Line 5, 6, 7 NOTE: & 8 120 Foot Line Parts of Area 10 (Nantucket Sound) are federal waters. 8 & 9 70 Degree Longitude Line but are managed by DMF. 9 & 10 70 Degree Longitude Line 9 & 11 41 Degree 20 Minute Longitude Line 10 & 12 Wasque Pt, MV - Muskeget Island, Nantucket Succoonesset Pt, Mashpee -Cape Pogue. MV L, . 1 = Territorial Wmpp; 10 & 13 Cmkei. letig? ■V-L, 43 00 00 42 00 00 ^;>/l:16 - / f •- -■■■--* -- -~y-i-\- ■■■•-- ■m: ft i v , "K ;i' ~'x: v--'V i i ' ii' I ' T""| 41 00 00 71 00 00 70 00 00 69 00 00 Figure IB. 1995 Massachusetts Lobster Fishery; Statistical Reporting Map Showing Offshore Areas (which correspond to the National Marine Fisheries Service Statistical Areas) BBSvSsflon off MRBCTCR PHUPCOJE N ;«S$ IS Scale = 1:3,120,000 0 miles 20 40 60 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. — — = Hague Line i i = Territorial Waters ~— . ■■■-!—' :■"""" ■■»..,. - 1 ■ ■ — — — -■- — «.;-■'•'■<.■" ^■■wi:wf.».»; .«-«>■/-£ f ■■■«■'.,..,.- r ri^y* -. r"\v"J£V * 7 H L4$f<' ■ /'//!r; ':t? '&te£$&'i'i: s.*$&|gis§§6 Jordan / Basin N Brown Ban — 44 00 00 43 00 00 42 00 00 41 00 00 40 00 00 71 00 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 Sandwich, MA at (508) 888-1 155. 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 1995, the dollar value of fees collected and the number that reported catching lobster. There were 2,287 commercial lobster licenses issued during 1995: 1,609 coastal, 596 offshore and 82 seasonal. Non-commercial licenses issued totaled 1 1,486; a breakdown of their reporting status and landings can be found in Table 6. As of July 12, 1996, a total of 84 licensed commercial lobstermen (3.7 percent) failed to file a catch report with the Division. Of the 2,203 commercial fishermen who reported, 532 or 24 percent claimed they did not catch any lobster during 1995. 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 1995 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 dropped approximately eight percent in 1995. Overall compliance with catch reporting by the offshore fleet appears to be improving. Student commercial licenses have increased in number by approximately 58 percent since 1991. Table 1. 1995 Massachusetts Lobster Fishery; Reporting Status of Licenses Issued License Type (Fee) Licenses Issued Licensing Revenue Reported "Catching Lobster" Reported "No Lobster Catch" Not Reporting Coastal Commercial ($ 260) Offshore Commercial ($ 260) Seasonal (Student) Commercial ($ 65) Non-Commercial ($ 40) 1,609 596 82 11,486 $418,340 $154,960 $5,330 $459,440 1,190 439 42 7,098 74% 74% 51% 62% 403 117 12 1,628 25% 20% 15% 14% 16 1% 40 7% 28 34% 2,760 24% Total 13,773 $1,038,070 8,769 64% 2,160 16% 2,844 21% Table 2. Massachusetts Commercial Lobster Fishery; Selected Licensing '. Information, 1991 - 1995 Percent Five Coastal Licenses 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 Year Change Issued 1,682 1,647 1,627 1,612 1,609 -4.34% % Change -2.08 -1.21 -0.92 -0.19 "Caught Lobster" 1,230 1,185 1,195 1,194 1,190 % Change -1.6 J 2.08 0.85 -0.15 "Did Not Catch Lobster" 437 445 412 401 403 % Change 3.99 -6.28 -1.76 0.69 Not Reporting 15 17 20 17 16 % Change 15.74 19.09 -14.21 -5.71 Percent Not Reporting 0.9% J0% 1.2% 1.1% 1.0% Offshore Licenses Issued 717 710 711 648 596 -16.88% % Change -0.98 0.14 -8.86 -8.02 "Caught Lobster" 439 439 479 480 439 % Change 0.99 8.96 9.95 -0.56 "Did Not Catch Lobster" 208 196 148 119 111 % Change -4.84 -24.60 -11.78 6.90 Not Reporting 70 75 84 49 49 % Change 8.20 11.84 -36.00 8.72 Percent Not Reporting 9.8% 10.6% 11.8% 7.6% 8.2% Seasonal f Student) Licenses Issued 52 59 74 89 82 57.69% % Change 13.46 25.42 20.27 -7.87 "Caught Lobster" 29 29 44 49 42 % Change -11.86 51.72 11.36 -14.29 "Did Not Catch Lobster" 8 9 8 15 12 % Change -0.85 -ii.il 87.50 -20.00 Not Reporting 15 19 22 25 28 % Change 11.64 15.79 13.64 12.00 Percent Not Reporting 28.8% 32.2% 29.7% 28.1% 34.1% 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 1995, 15,949,362 pounds of lobster were reported landed by commercial lobstermen in Massachusetts, a 1.39 percent decrease from 1994. Based on an average price of $3.20 per pound, the commercial catch was valued at $5 1,037,958, an 8.43 percent increase. Figure 2 shows the weighted ex-vessel price for 1995 as derived from audits of lobstermen's records. The weighted average price of $3.20 reflects a 9.9 percent increase over the average ex-vessel price paid in 1994. (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 13,198,175 pounds, or 82.5 percent of the commercial catch, up 0.5 percent from 1994. Of the 15,949,362 pounds of lobster landed commercially, 10,040,721 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 Plymouth, Marshfield and Boston in that order. In total numbers of active commercial fishermen, Essex County ranked first with 572, Plymouth County second with 323 and Bristol County third with 28 1. Among the cities and towns of the Commonwealth, Gloucester ranked first in active fishermen followed by New Bedford, Boston and Plymouth 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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IS Wi IS. 25 ^H 1-1 r- to ^5 S.3. ^^ tO On SO V) NO 40 T w* 40 On, oT I-" NO to -" to © 4V ll.-? U 0. > ,s c e I -0. •A ii o J" a. > o J" 0. > •5s il o J" a- > ii o J1 fiu > 11 o J" I tn ll a- > s 1 3 ^ e « 0. > Table 4. Massachusetts Commercial Lobster Fishery; Selected Landings (Lbs.) and Effort Statistics, 1991-95 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 Percent Five Year Change Total Landings Percent Change 15,986,991 14,967,260 -6.38 14,425,864 -3.62 16,174,818 12.12 15,949,362 -1.39 -0.24 Total Traps Fished Percent Change 485,924 477,836 -1.66 467,180 -2.23 488,945 4.66 482,180 -1.38 -0.77 Total Value Percent Change $43,644,485 $44,602,435 2.19 $41,979,264 -5.88 $47,068,720 12.12 $51,037,958 8.43 16.94 TERRITORIAL (Inside 3 Miles) Landings Percent Change 11,001,384 9,658,545 -1221 9,124,412 -5.53 10,498,316 15.06 10,040,721 -4.36 -8.73 Value Percent Change $30,033,778 $28,782,464 -4.17 $26,552,039 -7.75 $30,550,100 15.06 $32,130,307 5.17 6.98 Trap Landings 10,977,053 9,626,941 -12.30 9,061,639 -5.87 10,430,833 15.11 10,027,563 -3.87 -8.65 Traps Fished 397,951 376,901 -5.29 361,213 ^.16 365,821 1.28 358,075 -2.12 -10.02 Non-Trap Landings (Gillnet, Diver) 24,331 31,604 29.89 38,948 23.24 40,583 4.20 13,158 -67.58 -45.92 ^ON-TERRITORIAL (Outside 3 Mile: Landings Percent Change 4,985,607 5,308,715 6.48 5,301,452 -0.14 5,676,503 7.07 5,908,641 4.09 18.51 Value Percent Change $13,610,707 $15,819,971 16.23 $15,427,225 -2.48 $16,518,624 7.07 $18,907,651 14.46 38.92 Trap Landings 4,166,974 4,296,329 3.10 4,315,675 0.45 4,634,960 7.40 4,994,645 7.76 19.86 Traps Fished 87,973 100,935 14.73 105,967 4.99 123,124 16.19 124,106 0.80 41.07 Non-Trap Landings (Gillnet, Trawler) 818,633 1,012,387 23.67 985,168 -2.69 1,041,542 5.72 913,996 -12.25 11.65 Average Price ($) / Pound Percent Change 2.73 2.98 9.16 2.91 -2.35 2.91 0.00 3.20 9.97 Ave. Lbs. / Trap-Haul Percent Change 0.7008 0.6309 -9.97 0.6554 3.88 0.6976 6.44 0.7286 4.44 Ave. Lbs. / Trap Percent Change 31.17 29.14 -6.50 28.63 -1.73 30.81 7.61 31.15 1.11 10 Table 5. 1995 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 BARNSTABLE-YARMOUTH BEVERLY BOSTON BOURNE Chatham chilmark cohasset DANVERS DARTMOUTH DENNIS-BREWSTER DUXBURY ESSEX FAffiHAVEN FALMOUTH GLOUCESTER HARWICH HINGHAM HULL IPSWICH-ROWLEY KINGSTON LYNN MANCHESTER MARBLEHEAD MARSHFTELD MATTAPOISETT NAHANT NANTUCKET NEW BEDFORD NEWBURYPORT-NEWBURY ORLEANS-EASTHAM PLYMOUTH PROVINCETOWN QUINCY REVERE ROCKPORT SALEM SALISBURY SANDWICH SAUGUS SCITUATE-NORWELL SWAMPSCOTT TISBURY-EDGARTOWN-OAK BLUFFS TRURO WAREHAM-MARION WELLFLEET WESTPORT-SWANSEA-FALL RIVER WEYMOUTH WINTHROP 107 7 44 ..22.:: 39 12 44 07 7 44 22 39 10 10 21 10 4 44 15 213 6 30 25 23 4 10 28 49 78 10 23 8 183 22 24 94 36 9 10 60 9 8 40 34 59 22 17 8 9 6 44 6 16 24 9 3 29 9 19 11 25 25 20 25 31 9 23 1 30 14 16 18 31 25 15 8 5 25 18 28 2 19 17 4 12 26 25 6 26 27 10 13 7 19 21 27 26 30 9 30 22 61,634 572,105 714,099 54,686 120,735 60,141 447,502 46,580 23,602 110,329 86,814 5,009 181,144 36,114 1,023,352 9,808 332,437 285,298 45;230 40,436 132,006 179,325 356,770 786,411 69,766 251,392 13,970 143,702 40,548 120,804 1,166,797 187,127 26,408 231,291 420,048 3,940 13,056 502,718 325,041 304,731 187,154 13,679 14,098 36,078 42,306 108,947 7,830 118,511 344,817 232,930 265,442 0 201,878 154,806 128,841 985 6,123 0 0 0 560,330 20,240 1,270,456 90,429 103,029 50,056 113 0 21,063 40,424 76,199 327,440 11,478 20,830 39,661 482,115 17,344 22,442 72,825 24,335 7,360 9,788 42,538 0 379 292,215 4,703 241,878 0 59,388 0 630 4,348 470,454 4,357 0 406,451 805,035 979,541 54,686 322,613 214,947 576,343 47,565 29,725 110,329 86,814 5,009 741,474 56,354 2,293,808 100,237 435,466 335,354 45,343 40,436 153,069 219,749 432,969 1,113,851 81,244 272,222 53,631 625,817 57,892 143,246 1,239,622 211,462 33,768 241,079 462,586 3,940 13,435 794,933 329,744 546,609 187,154 73,067 14,098 36,708 46,654 579,401 12,187 118,511 2.57 110 6.21 0.35 2.04 1.36 3.65 0.30 0.19 0.70 0.55 0.03 4.70 0.36 14.53 0.63 2.76 2.12 0.29 0.26 0.97 1.39 2.74 7.06 0.51 1.72 0.34 3.96 0.37 0.91 7.85 1.34 0.21 1.53 2.93 0.02 0.09 5.04 2.09 3.46 1.19 0.46 0.09 0.23 0.30 3.67 0.08 0.75 RANK .15 5 4 35 18 22 10 37 43 28 30 47 7 34 1 29 13 16 39 40 25 21 14 3 31 19 36 8 33 26 m 23 42 20 11 48 45 6 17 11 24 32 44 41 38 9 46 27 STATEWIDE TOTAL 1,612 10,061,509 5,724,669 15,786,178 100.00 OUTOFSTATE 17 8,055 138,091 146,146 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 1995 totaled 1 1,486, up slightly from 1994, with 8,726 or 76 percent, reporting that they fished for lobster. In general, reporting rates dropped slightly and the percentage of license holders fishing decreased. Landings fell by about five percent from 1994. The number of traps fished in the recreational fishery has risen steadily for past few years. The number of hours dived has continued to decline from 1992 levels. Landings amounted to 364,718 pounds or only 2.3 percent of the commercial landings. The concern that recreational fishermen have a detrimental effect on the resource is often expressed by the commercial sector. These figures would suggest that this is probably not the case. It should be noted that those individuals who did not report, were not able to renew their recreational license for 1995. One quarter of the licenses in the recreational fishery have turned over in the past year; historically, this turn-over rate is not unusual. Table 6. 1995 Massachusetts Recreational Lobster Fishery; License Status and Harvest Information License Type: Diver Diver/Pot Potman Total Percent 1) Number of Licenses Issued in 1995 4,116 3,286 4,084 11,486 2) Number That Reported 2,872 2,695 3,159 8,726 75.97% a) Total Number That Fished 2,291 2,177 2,630 7,098 61.80% b) Total Number That Did Not Fish 581 518 529 1,628 14.17% 3) Number That Did Not Report 1,214 715 962 2,760 24.03% 4) Number of Lobsters Reported Landed 41,089 81,314 162,533 284,936 Percent Change from 1994 Pounds of Lobsters (Calculated)* 52,594 104,082 208,042 364,718 -5.09% 5) Number Pots Fished 7,523 19,967 27,490 5.45% 6) Number of Hours Diving 33,024 28,441 61,465 -13.27% * 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 84 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 1995 landings were more evenly distributed during July thru November, whereas landings in 1994 were heavily concentrated in 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 28% of the state's territorial harvest was caught. This far outweighs any of the other designated areas in terms of landings. Table 7. 1 995 Massachusetts Commercial Lobster Fishery Percent Monthly Territorial Harvest by License Type Month Coastal Seasonal January 0.81 0.00 February 0.27 0.00 March 0.61 0.00 April 1.76 0.00 May 2.64 0.00 June 5.98 14.93 July 14.11 36.15 August 19.13 34.79 September 18.09 14.14 October 18.99 0.00 November 13.23 0.00 December 4.39 0.00 Total 100.00 100.00 Figure 3. 1995 Massachusetts Commercial Lobster Fishery Total Monthly Territorial Harvest for Coastal and Seasonal License Types VX in §1.5 C/3 0> 13 ■c o I 0.5 H £ 0 Total Territorial Harvest = 10,040,721 lbs. 19.15% i8.97o/o 18.09% 0.80% 0 27% °-61% Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Month 13 Table 8. 1995 Massachusetts Commercial Lobster Fishery Percent Territorial Harvest by Area Fished by License Type Area Fished Coastal Seasonal 1 1.32 3.40 2 14.07 27.43 3 11.92 4.17 4 27.94 12.40 5 10.39 5.44 6 8.77 2.78 7 6.87 15.16 8 8.80 0.68 9 2.56 6.54 10 0.26 16.97 11 0.00 0.00 12 0.93 0.00 13 1.83 0.00 14 4.35 5.05 Total Pounds 10,030,426 10,295 Territorial landings were down 3.5 percent in 1995. Although many areas including Boston Harbor saw notable decreases in their percentage share of territorial landings, a few areas, including Cape Cod Bay and Buzzards Bay, did show overall 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. C/5 Figure 4. 1995 Massachusetts Commercial Lobster Fishery Total Territorial Harvest for Coastal and Seasonal License Types by Area Fished 27.93% Total Territorial Harvest = 10,040,721 lbs. 4.35% 2.56% 1.82% 0.28% 0.00% Q-93% 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Area 14 Figure 5. 1995 Massachusetts Lobster Fishery; Landings by Statistical Reporting Area -(See Figures 1A & IB for Reference to Reporting Areas) DBvflston off Marine MREcrcB nnjp comb N tei& IS il I m tn.a>. o I -t-> C/3 3 cd X u Oh *T3 O 0.3 - 0.2 Coastal License Potmen All Potmen 0.1 0 Average CPUE for All Potmen = 0. 1916 6 7 Month 8 10 11 12 0.4 Figure 8. 1995 Massachusetts Commercial Lobster Fishery Catch per Unit of Effort for All License Types by Area Fished & Q u > O i> in 3 a X i 2 0.3 0.2 0-0.1 O Oh 0 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 $25,494,437, diving gear at $36,175, and power and non-power boats at $49,041,197 yielding a total gear value of $74,571,809. Combined with the ex-vessel value of lobster sold, $5 1,037,958, this gives a total fishery value of $125,609,767. See Tables 9, 10 and 11. Overall, 80% of the traps fished in the commercial fishery were wire framed, with 19% being wooden framed and approximately 1% categorized as "other". Average value (including warp and buoy) ranged anywhere from $22.66 to $100.46, with an average value of $52.92. See Table 9. Table 9. 1995 Massachusetts Commercial Lobster Fishery Trap Types Fished and Value by License Type Total Percent Coastal Offshore Seasonal Trap Type of Total Wooden Framed Traps Value Value/Trap 78,570 $3,862,153 $49.16 13,199 $1,279,059 $96.91 96 $3,360 $34.88 91,865 $5,144,572 $56.00 19.07% Wire Framed Traps Value Value/Trap 349,483 $17,450,000 $49.93 34,544 $2,672,249 $77.36 762 $28,976 $38.04 384,789 $20,151,225 $52.37 79.87% Other Trap Types Value Value/Trap 4,035 1,067 0 $91,450 $107,190' $0 $22.66 $100.46 $0.00 5,102 $198,640 $38.93 1.06% Total for License Type Value Value/Trap 432,088 $21,403,603 $49.54 48,810 $4,058,498 $83.15 858 $32,336 $37.69 481,756 $25,494,437 $52.92 Value of trap includes warp and buoy. These figures include out-of-state fishermen. 18 s© OS Os SO rf s© •I s©.M t^ © S3 •» «n r« PP8 S 2 s© oo ©s © © »5 ao so *~ r* NO «-> Os s© so s©_~< vT V) e ^ >ri 22 5 S3 ©s V) 5^ <»> s© © © >- SO s©* •9 4> M O B a O E sV is "3 L. 41 E E o U 0) u cs ON as 111 MHO B 0 X e 5/3 M o £ r- VI N w cs so ©\ -« V) S© «S N© -* r~ so w> r- Os V* «r> ::©' V> :*~- ::::::::«r>::«> G ' - 90 s©* — ■ «rf !l 0 u OS ©\ ©s 1 o\ so © M 8 r- i N« « «s •» l») IS OS n r» so •v 8S« ** f> *s «\ r- m wj. — . © r» so c* T* *» OS Os 'W 3 © o ■:■**:■>:■:•:■ ft IS »*:■ so *~ 00 ©V 3 os I/) »» •ft 2 -s S 0 3 © 09 «n so 8- "a t « > Id 09 O 5 U E •* o a. W » x OS ■0: :»:*« V) *>» r- r~ r» os © m Os ^ — •*» t^ r- m so — SO 00 I- Os 't t «s n m r~ r» -" «S CS «S OS so © t -" SO OS Wl so — <1 WJ in T SO ■■* r»^ M Os r- M M so SO f»l i^ m w4 OS as s n S «s SO *!t e oe «• «n «s 5 & " s *■ « CQ * to te EL. 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V) 00 II H O © ©_ in S a o -J < H < 0 u — m © »^ r-l ^ t*l 00 ^ t- 00 — 00 00 MS V) © © © © ©^ ri oo »- o § cs wT W) 1 Wi 00 © r~ w> >e — r- oo r-^ m -5" © © ■*t wi np wT r-i £ v> me <*> rs 1^ <»). o^ wi 3 3N" ©\ <») — wT OS oo r* © 00 5 S t vl Z u o Si « 3c§ £ oe e f 1 § D £ 2 3 50 s Si = £ g Q a. 2 <§ 01 o Ob. C a. Z 00 all I c » Q £ Z si a! 51 ij a. Z s o & 5 I o Q £ Z 20 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 6,980,612 pounds. The audit of their records revealed a harvest of 6,996,373 pounds or a difference of -0.23 percent. Last year the fishermen selected for audit reported harvesting 1,783,584 pounds of lobster on their 1995 catch reports. The audit of actual records showed total landings of 1,774,626 pounds, a difference of 8,958 pounds or 0.5 percent. Eight 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. 50 40 ^30 c D 3 w