University of Massachusetts Amherst I B R R Y Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2013 with funding from Boston Library Consortium Member Libraries http://archive.org/details/massachusettslob1996mass 1L ■ ■ ■ 'Vvr:- .•■«- .• 'x> ■ I ■ .'w* s...;.' t'::*r£,t% m H SSrhB H ■ IM&. M^-^l^iP/^/^ V FEB 2 7 1998 rsitv of Massachusetts MASSACHUSETTS DIVISION OF MARINE FISHERIES 1996 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 Annisquam River Marine Fisheries Station 30 Emerson Avenue Gloucester, Massachusetts 01930 (978) 282-0308 Technical Series 3 1 A contribution of Interjurisdictional Fisheries Act (P.L.99-659) Project (NA76FI01 15) 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 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 1,598 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 1996 is described on Page 2. This report is the thirtieth 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 eleventh 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 'Wo 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 September 2, 1997 and are not expanded to represent all of the permits issued in 1996. 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 1996, the Division authorized the transfer of 66 coastal lobster licenses. Thirty one 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. Twelve transfers were allowed within the holder's immediate family (and would also have been allowed prior to the new regulation). Eleven transfers were made directly from the holder to a sternman with a documented fishing history. Twelve lobstermen advertised their coastal lobster businesses to persons on a waiting list maintained by the Division and subsequently transferred their permits. Seventeen licenses were forfeited to the Division in 1996; nine 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 1 A. 1 996 Massachusetts Lobster Fishery; Statistical Reporting Map Showing Territorial Waters and Outlying Areas DIRECTOR P1DLIP COATES N MASS is Mnxkvaetto Cwgrapkx iRfGFTJUShOK System tAumfmrntU Frrrn-hT ^ffrr rf T n i i i r ' ^jfr-r- T°P7 Scale = 1:1,320,000 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 - 1 20 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 & 13 Succonnesset Pt, Mashpee -Cape Pogue, MV 1 1 & 12 70 Degree Longitude Line 12 & 13 41 Degree 20 Minute Longitude Line 1 3 & 1 4 Elizabeth Islands and Sow & Pigs Reef to Territorial Line 14 & 1 5 70 Degree Longitude Line to Territorial Line NOTE: Parts of Area 10 (Nantucket Sound) are federal waters, but are managed by DMF. 1 I = Territorial Waters *2'*~ .-{&&&$*&&': ">"*i mmimmfmmi'm , • *rM~5° ■ ** i- ■ - ~-. ■ -; <~ ■ :•■'■■* *. i:-iC:X: 43 00 00 42 00 00 4100 00 7100 00 70 00 00 69 00 00 Figure IB. 1996 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. msssffaSBC bbSHBSSMSS DEHTTOR PHILIP COMB N MASS B Otgnpldc utfornuh&i Sy*rm MbmKfcmltt&BmfaOffiaefbmimBmtibdJlfi*u**2S97 Scale =1:3,120,000 0 miles 20 40 60 80 = Hague Line i i = Territorial Waters mm 44 00 00 43 0000 42 0000 410000 40 0000 7100 00 70 00 00 69 00 00 68 00 00 67 00 00 66 00 00 4 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 1996, the dollar value of fees collected and the number that reported catching lobster. There were 2,214 commercial lobster licenses issued during 1996: 1,598 coastal, 551 offshore and 65 seasonal. Non-commercial licenses issued totaled 1 1,083; a breakdown of their reporting status and landings can be found in Table 6. As of September 2, 1997, a total of 70 licensed commercial lobstermen (3.2 percent) failed to file a catch report with the Division. Of the 2,144 commercial fishermen who reported, 525 or 24.5 percent claimed they did not catch any lobster during 1996. The number of coastal licenses issued continues to decline since a 1988 moratorium on the issuance of new licenses. An annual decrease of approximately three percent per year continued in 1996 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 1996. Overall compliance with catch reporting by the offshore fleet appears to be improving. Student commercial licenses have increased in number by approximately 10 percent since 1992. Table 1. 1996 Massachusetts Lobster Fishery; Reporting Status of Licenses Issued Licenses Licensing Reported Reported Not License Type (Fee) Issued Revenue "Catch ingXobster^ "No Lobster Catch" Reporting Coastal Commercial ($ 260) 1,598 $415,480 1,179 74% 404 25% 15 1% Offshore Commercial ($ 260) 55 1 $143,260 400 73% 114 21% 37 7% Seasonal (Student) Commercial ($ 65) 65 $4,225 40 62% 7 11% 18 28% Non-Commercial ($ 40) 1 1 ,083 $443,320 6,871 62% 1,821 16% 2,391 22% Total 13,297 $1,006,285 8,490 64% 2,346 18% 2,461 19% Table 2. Massachusetts Commercial Lobster Fishery; Selected Licensing Information, 1992 - 1996 Percent Five 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 Year Change Coastal Licenses Issued 1,647 1,627 1,612 1,609 1,598 % Change "Caught Lobster" % Change "Did Not Catch Lobster" % Change Not Reporting % Change Percent Not Reporting Offshore Licenses Issued 710 711 648 596 551 % Change "Caught Lobster" % Change "Did Not Catch Lobster" % Change Not Reporting % Change Percent Not Reporting Seasonal (Student) Licenses Issued 59 ?-! !()./'% % Change "Caught Lobster" % Change "Did Not Catch Lobster" % Change Not Reporting % Change Percent Not Reporting 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. 1,647 1,185 445 17 1.0% 710 439 196 75 10.6% 59 29 9 19 32.2% 1,627 -1.21 1,612 -0.92 1,609 -0.19 1,598 -0.68 1,195 2.08 1,194 0.85 1,190 -0.15 1,179 -0.24 412 -6.28 401 -7.76 403 0.69 404 0.94 20 19.09 17 -14.21 16 -5.71 15 -5.60 1.2% 1.1% 1.0% 0.9% 711 0.14 648 -8.86 596 -8.02 551 -7.55 479 8.96 480 9.95 439 -0.56 400 -1.44 148 -24.60 119 -11.78 117 6.90 114 5.39 84 11.84 49 -36.00 49 8.72 37 -18.32 11.8% 7.6% 8.2% 6.7% 74 25.42 89 20.27 82 -7.87 65 -20. 73 44 20.97 49 11.36 42 -14.29 40 -4.76 8 -29.13 15 87.50 12 -20.00 7 -41.67 22 -7.68 25 13.64 28 12.00 18 -35.71 29.7% 28.1% 34.1% 27.7% LANDINGS AND VALUE In 1996, 15,361,045 pounds of lobster were reported landed by commercial lobstermen in Massachusetts, a 3.69 percent decrease from 1995. Based on an average price of $3.26 per pound, the commercial catch was valued at $50,077,007, an 1 .88 percent decrease from 1995. Figure 2 shows the weighted ex- vessel price for 1996 as derived from audits of lobstermen's records. The weighted average price of $3.26 reflects a 1.87 percent increase over the average ex-vessel price paid in 1995. (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 12,800,087 pounds, or 83.3 percent of the commercial catch, up 0.98 percent from 1995. Of the 15,361,045 pounds of lobster landed commercially, 9,109,902 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 563, Plymouth County second with 332 and Bristol County third with 257. Among the cities and towns of the Commonwealth, Gloucester ranked first in active fishermen followed by New Bedford, Plymouth and Boston 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). 7 Figure 2. 1 996 Massachusetts Commercial Lobster Fishery Weighted Ex-Vessel Price Derived from Audited Lobstermen's Records 1/5 T V» T vo no :r~ ■♦ no <-» -» 00 «n «-^ 1 1*1 o NO e fl f*l ON 1/1 ON O "• 00 £} •» On tn m r- n a in ■? NO — ■ C* 00 ■<£ in f~T 1*1 <-< ON *-« <"■! 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E £ o U 4) 3 J= w o: (A on n£> «7n On <*1 < o H 5 BS H nJ re > I 5 _3 ° <^ H tn < O U m oo on t- 00 t*l — m on — m r» m m ON NO © r»> o — — in r- ^: ■» tr. t in r« — no in 00 00 NO ■» 00 »*» oo m C5 r*i t-" ON — _ o On oo 00 fi no m no r^" 00 NO © © m © ON 00 00 —I oo r»> r*- — no "* — r< m m r^ on 00 — M 00 m on on NO f»5 M n i~ n m t o i^ r~ on ON o\ © •- «n 00 t^ 00 V5 in © ON^ <^t oo"ov. t~- <»> oo: t~ On: ©. ©; — NO* 2^ o\ VI i o ol o re E Ed a < — > u en Z o si z 5 ZJ _v o X c^ «e E Vi <*> ■B k. i- "3 Ji B 3 3 23 £ 3 3 3 ■SS C re O re u. > — a. > S1 = 3 O « a. > bJ^ =1 S fa a. > <: = ^ U. D. > $ 1 © 3 -= O rN E x n_^ -J s .T T < 8 E E w ^ N>J Si E v> s ■3 = 3 ■3 3 o a. re > £ O re > o Table 4. Massachusetts Commercial Lobster Fishery; Selected Landings (Lbs.) and Effort Statistics, 1992-96 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 Percent Five Year Change Total Landings Percent Change Total Traps Fished Percent Change Total Value Percent Change 14,967,260 14,425,864 16,174,818 15,949,362 15,361,045 -3.62 12.12 -1.39 -3.69 477,836 467,180 -2.23 488,945 4.66 482,180 -1.38 495,651 2.79 $44,602,435 $41,979,264 $47,068,720 $51,037,958 $50,077,007 -5.88 12.12 8.43 -1.88 2.63 3.73 12.27 TERRITORIAL (Inside 3 Miles) Landings Percent Change Value Percent Change Trap Landings Traps Fished Non-Trap Landings (Gillnet. Diver) 9,658,545 9,124,412 10,498,316 10,040,721 9,109,902 -5.53 15.06 -4.36 -9.27 $28,782,464 $26,552,039 $30,550,100 $32,130,307 $29,698,281 -7.75 15.06 5.17 -7.57 9,626,941 376,901 31,604 9,061,639 10,430,833 10,027,563 -5.87 15.11 -3.87 361,213 -4.16 38,948 23.24 365,821 1.28 40,583 4.20 358,075 -2.12 13,158 -67.58 9,076,886 -9.48 366,946 2.48 33,016 150.92 NON-TERRITORIAL (Outside 3 Miles) -5.68 3.18 -5.71 -2.64 4.47 Landings Percent Change Value Percent Change Trap Landings Traps Fished Non-Trap Landings (Gillnet, Trawler) 5,308,715 5,301,452 5,676,503 5,908,641 6,251,143 -0.14 7.07 4.09 5.80 $15,819,971 $15,427,225 $16,518,624 $18,907,651 $20,378,726 -2.48 7.07 14.46 7.78 4,296,329 4.315,675 4,634,960 4,994,645 5,331,921 0.45 7.40 7.76 6.75 100,935 1,012,387 105,967 4.99 985,168 -2.69 123,124 16.19 1,041,542 5.72 124,106 0.80 913,996 -12.25 128,704 3.70 919,222 0.57 17.75 28.82 24.10 27.51 -9.20 Average Price ($) / Pound 2.98 2.91 2.91 3.20 3.26 Percent Change -2.35 0.00 9.97 1.87 Ave. Lbs. / Trap-Haul 0.6309 0.6554 0.6976 0.7286 0.7296 Percent Change 3.88 6.44 4.44 0.14 Ave. Lbs. / Trap 29.14 28.63 30.81 31.15 29.07 Percent Change -1.73 7.61 1.09 -6.68 10 Table 5. 1996 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 10 29 48,628 357,334 405,962 2.65 14 BEVERLY 44 10 383,136 213,663 596,799 3.90 9 BOSTON 93 4 494,259 236,082 730341 4.77 5 BOURNE 10 29 44,364 0 44.364 0.29 36 CHATHAM 47 9 170,188 181,417 351,605 2.30 16 CHILMARK 21 23 66,447 134,022 200,469 1.31 21 COHASSET 37 12 400,825 74,695 475,520 3.11 12 DANVERS 11 28 38,928 4,465 43,393 0.28 37 DARTMOUTH 9 30 11,795 160 11,955 0.08 44 DENNIS-BREWSTER 22 22 98,471 2,144 100,615 0.66 28 DUXBURY 8 31 75,929 0 75,929 0.50 31 ESSEX ...4 35... 6.520 0 6,520 0-04 46 FAIRHAVEN 36 13 180,781 463,021 643^02 4.21 7 FALMOUTH 12 27 55,089 28,594 83,683 0.55 29 GLOUCESTER 215 1 966^06 1,797,523 2,764329 18.06 1 HARWICH 4 35 13,438 55,338 68,776 0.45 32 HINGHAM 25 19 300,363 63,942 364,305 2.38 15 HULL 30 15 223,937 112,812 336,749 2.20 17 IPSWICH-ROWLEY 23 21 35,981 0 35,981 0.24 39 KINGSTON 5 34 39,826 0 39,826 0.26 38 LYNN 8 31 90,337 33,065 123,402 0.81 26 MANCHESTER 27 17 168,674 61.509 230,183 1.50 19 MARBLEHEAD 49 8 335319 76,411 412230 2.69 13 MARSHFIELD 77 5 851350 286,197 1,137,747 7.43 2 MATTAPOISETT 11 28 43,184 33,719 76,903 0.50 30 NAHANT 25 19 196,101 48,569 244,670 1.60 18 NANTUCKET 9 30 18,598 44,777 63,375 0-4J .34... NEW BEDFORD 171 2 195,861 52637 722,248; : 4.72;; 6 NEWBURYPORT-NEWBURY 26 18 50,072 15,602 65,674 0.43 33 ORLEANS-EASTHAM 24 20 133,883 12.440 146,323 0.96 25 PLYMOUTH 101 3 1,074,643 41,909 1,116352 7.29 3 PROVINCETOWN 34 14 172,205 22,676 194,881 1.27 22 QUINCY 7 32 5,317 816 6,133 0.04 47 REVERE 8 31 154,879 20,764 175,643 1.15 24 ROCKPORT 59 6 423,668 80,219 503,887 3.29 ,11 SALEM 7 32 5,460 157 5,617 0.04 48 SALISBURY 9 30 14,949 96 15,045 0.10 42 SANDWICH 41 10 473,670 367,723 841,393 5.50 4 SAUGUS 28 16 218,720 5,045 . 223,765 1.46 20 SCITUATE-NORWELL 57 7 319,028 308392 627,620 4.10 8 SWAMPSCOTT 19 24 186,731 5,994 192,725 1.26 23 TISBURY-EDGARTOWN-OAK BLUFFS 16 26 19,562 40,830 60,392 0.39 35 TRURO 7 32 14,292 0 14,292 0.09 43 WAREHAM-MARION 11 28 35,492 82 35,574 0.23 40 WELLFLEET WESTPORT-SWANSEA-FALL RIVER 6 39 33 11 27,710 101,143 3,506 31,216 0.20 3.57 4! 445372 546,715 10 WEYMOUTH 4 35 6,447 3,011 9,458 0.06 45 WINTHROP 17 25 103,285 0 103.285 0.67 27 STATEWIDE TOTAL 1363 9,096,991 6,210,880 15307,871 100.00 OUTOFSTATE 13 5,812 40.262 46,074 Shaded areas denote towns which rank in the top 10 for number of fishermen or total la ndings or both. 11 RECREATIONAL LOBSTER FISHERY Recreational statistics are shown in Table 6. Licenses issued in 1996 totaled 1 1,083, down slightly from 1995, with 8,629 or 78 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 eight percent from 1995. 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 1992 levels. Landings amounted to 335,776 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 1996. Twenty-one 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. 1996 Massachusetts Recreational Lobster Fishery; License Status and Harvest Information License Type: 1) Number of Licenses Issued in 1996 2) Number That Reported a) Total Number That Fished b) Total Number That Did Not Fish !3) Number That Did Not Report 4) Number of Lobsters Reported Landed Diver Diver/Pot Potman 3,683 3,169 4,231 2,714 2,667 3,311 2,074 2,075 2,722 640 592 589 1,087 668 929 33,672 69,475 159,178 Total Percent 11,083 8,692 78.43% 6,871 62.00% 1,821 16.43% 2,391 27.57% Percent Change 262,325 from 1995 Pounds of Lobsters (Calculated)* 43,100 88,928 203,748 335,776 -7.94% 5) Number Pots Fished 7,111 20,907 28,018 1.92% 6) Number of Hours Diving 28,411 27,027 55,438 -0.14% * Based on 1.28 Pounds per Lobster. 1 12 TERRITORIAL FISHERY Territorial landings by commercial fishermen were concentrated in the months of July through November when 82 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 recruitmentof previously sub-legal lobsters into the legal size category. The 1996 landings were primarily distributed July thru November with concentrated landings in September and October. Landings in 1995 reflected a more uniform distribution with concentrations August thru 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 22% of the state's territorial harvest was caught. This far outweighs any of the other designated areas in terms of landings Table 7. 1996 Massachusetts Commercial Lobster Fishery Percent Monthly Territorial Harvest by License Type Month Coastal Seasonal January 0.83 0.00 February 0.39 0.00 March 0.62 0.00 April 1.98 0.00 May 4.42 0.00 June 5.59 16.83 July 10.25 35.01 August 14.35 35.98 September 21.68 12.17 October 22.05 0.00 November 13.45 0.00 December 4.39 0.00 Total 100.00 100.00 Figure 3. 1996 Massachusetts Commercial Lobster Fishery Total Monthly Territorial Harvest for Coastal and Seasonal License Types § 1.5 en £ 1 X 03 . -^ S-l O 1 0-5 H •4— > o H 0 Total Territorial Harvest = 9,109,902 lbs. 21.68% 22.03% Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Month 13 Table 8. 1 996 Massachusetts Commercial Lobster Fishery Percent Territorial Harvest by Area Fished by License Type Area Fished Coastal Seasonal 1 1.51 1.31 2 15.30 35.38 11.61 9.68 4 21.65 5.31 5 10.77 3.94 6 7.92 9.23 7 6.88 10.20 8 12.30 0.00 9 3.31 2.22 10 0.48 12.05 11 0.01 0.00 12 1.84 0.00 13 2.05 0.00 14 4.38 10.68 Total Pounds 9,063,247 7,023 Territorial landings were down 9.2 percent in 1996. Although many areas including Boston Harbor saw notable decreases in their percentage share of territorial landings, a few areas, including Cape Ann and Cape Cod Bay 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 statisticd reporting area. c o Figure 4. 1996 Massachusetts Commercial Lobster Fishery Total Territorial Harvest for Coastal and Seasonal License Types by Area Fished 3 3 Total Territorial Harvest = 9,109,902 lbs. 21.63% 4.39% 14 Figure 5. 1996 Massachusetts Lobster Fishery; Landings by Statistical Reporting Area -(See Figures 1 A & IB for References to Reporting Areas MRiCTCR PHEJP COOTS N MASS is MaxuckiLsttts Ovgraphc utfonuttoK Syttem Mil 'n mttt FitinrhTT Qffict of Zfu/uwiHtrnt Affdra - 1997 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) 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 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 .6782 pounds, a decrease from 1995. For traps fished one set-over day the average was, .3 1 81 ; for those fished two days, .6613; for three days, .6701 ; and for four days, .6774. 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 1996 was .2044, a six percent increase from 1995 and a nine 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. 1996 Massachusetts Commercial Lobster Fishery Catch per Unit of Effort by Set-Over Day for Coastal Potmen and All Potmen —i 1.5 x §■ ?-i H S-H 1 o I ■*— > o I •4— > =3 i G- 03 s- H o> Ph C/3 d d o Ph 0.3 - 0.2 0.1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Area Fished 17 FISHING GEAR, VESSELS AND VALUE In the commercial fishery, traps were valued at $26,840,264, diving gear at $39,418, and power and non-power boats at $50,182,751 yielding a total gear value of $77,062,433. Combined with the ex-vessel value of lobster sold, $50,077,007, this gives a total fishery value of $127,139,440. See Tables 9, 10 and 1 1. Overall, 82% of the traps fished in the commercial fishery were wire framed, with 17% being wooden framed and approximately 0.4% categorized as "other". Average value (including warp and buoy) ranged anywhere from $35.34 to $106.82 with an average value of $54.49. See Table 9. Table 9. 1996 Massachusetts Commercial Lobster Fishery Trap Types Fished and Value by License Type Total Percent Coastal Offshore Seasonal Trap Type of Total Wooden Framed Traps 76,873 8,301 119 85,293 Value $3,996,030 $715,241 $5,141 $4,716,412 Value/Trap $51.98 $86.17 $43.23 $55.30 Wire Framed Traps 375,847 28,896 678 405,422 Value $19,610,000 $2,338,534 $23,974 $21,972,508 Value/Trap $52.18 $80.93 $35.34 $54.20 17.32% 82.31% Other Trap Types Value Value/Trap 792 1,055 4 $38,568 $112,700 $76 $48.73 $106.82 $0.00 1,850 $151,344 $81.79 0.38% Total for License Type Value Value/Trap 453,512 $23,644,598 $52.14 38,252 $3,166,475 $82;78 801 $29,190 $36.44 492,565 $26,840,263 $54.49 Value of trap includes warp and buoy. 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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 7,082,51 1 pounds. The audit of their records revealed a harvest of 7,1 10,835 pounds or a difference of -0.39 percent. Last year the fishermen selected for audit reported harvesting 1,701,304 pounds of lobster on their 1996 catch reports. The audit of actual records showed total landings of 1,694,600 pounds, a difference of 6,704 pounds or 0.4 percent. Four 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 JU Over-reported 40 Overall Percent Difference = .4% ! ^30 a cr Under-reported CD £ 20 — 10 - A ■ ■ iJblll kiii.. ■■ i m H -60 -40 -20 0 20 Percent Difference 40 60 Number of Fishermen Audited = 140 21 Figure 1 0. Coastal Map of Massachusetts Showing County Boundaries DIRECTOR PHILIP COATES County Border Town Border Territorial Reporting Areas 22 > C C Q 1.9 =3 3 o a I i I in H- < rD n> in b H- tfl 1,11 B Ul 3> ■■>: O O |— O ill j -ti H' o T .5 cr n a. |o 3 ~f c |c>j i:ij iii b i.n t ro in n Ml ID i/i n o rn n ,•■•<■• |..J. o M. iHifPliwgrfirtTFaT ' > ■ ■ . /- ■ *£.■'* t H ■ I ■ V Vf,v ■ L* t \ I v HKi H I I ^r " ■ '.v .^.- Draft