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/massachusettslob1998mass I 4® I ^"' ■ m m ■ J V . VT I 1 '■>•- I .*, I I . ■ * GovEimm r DOCUMENTS COLLECTION iov i s ];.■::. University of Massachusetts repository Coo MASSACHUSETTS DIVISION OF MARINE FISHERIES 1998 MASSACHUSETTS LOBSTER FISHERY STATISTICS by Jonathan A. Pava Fisheries Statistician and Karen Kruger EDP Programmer and Thomas B. Hoopes Systems Analyst Information Systems and Fisheries Statistics Project Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries Annisquam River Marine Fisheries Station 30 Emerson Avenue Gloucester, Massachusetts 01930 (978)282-0308 Technical Series 33 A contribution of Interjurisdictional Fisheries Act (P.L.99-659) Project (NA96F10035) The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs Bob Durand, Secretary Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Environmental Law Enforcement David M. Peters, Commissioner Division of Marine Fisheries Philip G. Coates, Director INTRODUCTION The commercial lobster fishery of Massachusetts is the most economically important fishery conducted within the territorial waters of the Commonwealth. The overall importance of the fishery both in New England and, in recent years, the Mid- Atlantic states, has focused the attention of federal, regional and state fishery managers on this species. In the early 1970's, in an attempt to standardize management of the fishery, the federal and state governments developed an overall lobster fishery management plan under the auspices of the State-Federal Fisheries Management Program. However, with the passage of the Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act in 1976, the New England Fisheries Management Council, in cooperation with the Mid-Atlantic Council, developed and implemented a management plan for the entire Atlantic Coast lobster fishery. The basis and success of any such plan is an accurate statistical database. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, with funding from the National Marine Fisheries Service, has been collecting annual reports from licensed lobster fishermen since the early 1960's. In the past these data were used primarily for descriptive and informational purposes, and occasionally for management. With the more recent emphasis on Federal management, however, these data have provided the respective management agencies with the information they need to protect the interests of Massachusetts' lobstermen and ensure a productive fishery in the Commonwealth. During the period 1975 - 1980, the number of coastal commercial lobster permits was limited by law to 1300, with an additional ten percent issued to proven hardship cases each year. In 1981, a statutory change mandated the establishment of a permanent waiting list from which 100 new permits were issued. Thirty special additional permits were also awarded to full-time commercial fishermen who met certain criteria. From 1982 to 1987, 80 list permits and 20 special additional permits were issued each year. In 1988, the issuance of new coastal permits was suspended. From 1988 to 1993, license transfers were allowed only within the immediate family, and if a license was allowed to expire, it was retired. In early 1993, a new regulation was promulgated by the DMF establishing broader eligibility criteria and new procedures for the transfer of Coastal Commercial Lobster Permits. As a result of these measures, the number of permits has declined from an all time high of 1,865 in 1988 to a more manageable 1,570 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 1998 is described on Page 2. This report is the thirty-second 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 thirteenth year in which the data processing and analysis have been completely automated. Areal data presented in this report conform to the National Marine Fisheries Service statistical reporting areas. This report does not, however, cover the scope of the Project's existing database and computational capability. Requests for expanded information, or questions concerning this publication, should be directed to the Division's Statistics Project in Gloucester, MA: (978) 282-0308. This report has been prepared by personnel of the Division of Marine Fisheries Information Systems and Fisheries Statistics Project, funded jointly by the Commonwealth and the National Marine Fisheries Service under the Interjurisdictional Fisheries Act (Public Law 99-659). The preparation of this report would not have been possible without the cooperation of licensed lobstermen who provided the information on their annual reports. Special thanks go to Ann Spires who continues, year after year, to interpret and keypunch, with special care and accuracy, the type of reports that fishermen are likely to fill out. Thanks also go to Charlie Anderson, who heads up the project, for his help with system development and upgrades and for his suggestions concerning this publication. These two people are as important to this process as we are, and without them this publication would not be possible. The authors also wish to acknowledge the assistance of Bruce Estrella from our Lobster Biology Project and Eileen Feeney and Kevin Creighton from our permitting office. SOURCE OF DATA "No person may fish for or take lobster in coastal waters or land lobster in the Commonwealth without a permit issued by the Director of the Division of Marine Fisheries." (Chapter 130, Mass. G.L., Section 38). Chapter 130, Mass. G.L., Section 33, requires any person so licensed to file an annual report of their catch by January 31 for the preceding calendar year. In 1980, a dual reporting system was established. Commercial lobstermen (coastal, offshore and seasonal(student)) received a detailed catch report form with their license renewal application. This report requests the following information: method of fishing; number and type of gear used; effort data (set-over days, number of trips per month, etc.); pounds of lobster caught; areas fished; principal ports of landing; and information relative to the vessels and traps used in the fishery. Recreational fishermen are asked to report on their license renewal application form the number of lobsters taken during the previous year and the maximum number of traps fished. Project personnel sort, edit, tabulate and interpret data from all reports received. Data presented in this publication are based on catch reports actually received as of September 13, 1999 and are not expanded to represent all of the permits issued in 1998. 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 1998, the Division authorized the transfer of 48 coastal lobster licenses. Twenty-two 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. Nine transfers were allowed within the holder's immediate family (and would also have been allowed prior to the new regulation). Eight transfers were made directly from the holder to a sternman with a documented fishing history. Nine lobstermen advertised their coastal lobster businesses to persons on a waiting list maintained by the Division and subsequently transferred their permits. Twenty-five licenses were forfeited to the Division in 1998; twelve of these coastal lobster permits were issued directly to waiting list applicants, and the remaining thirteen 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 1 A); 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. 1 998 Massachusetts Lobster Fishery; Statistical Reporting Map Showing Territorial Waters and Outlying Areas MRtCTOR PHILIP C. COVTFS N &If«i B Mmatckuseits GccgraphK tnformatioa Syttem bfama^tett* Executive Otftee of Irtvirvnmenl&l Affeu* - 1999 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 w 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 & 1 3 Succonnesset Pt, Mashpee -Cape Pogue, MV 11&12 70 Degree Longitude Line 12 & 13 41 Degree 20 Minute Longitude Line 13&14 Elizabeth Islands and Sow & Pigs Reef to Territorial Line 14 & 15 70 Degree Longitude Line to Territorial Line NOTE: Parts of Area 10 (Nantucket Sound) are federal waters, but are managed by DMF. 1 1 = Territorial Waters 43 00 00 42 00 00 - 4100 00 7100 00 70 00 00 69 00 00 Figure 1 B. 1 998 Massachusetts Lobster Fishery; Statistical Reporting Map Showing Offshore Areas (which correspond to the National Marine Fisheries Service Statistical Areas) DIRK TOR PHILIP G COME N mmm is Geographic Information Syttcm filBMurmiirti'i Executive Office of Emifotmental Affair* ■ 1939 Scale = 1:3,120,000 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 1 = Territorial Waters 0 miles 20 40 60 80 A, 44 00 00 43 00 00 • '; "*+ A — C-"^ ■r«. A^4r»t.;.^;-- .«w,,;,;i »^\/ 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 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 .27 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 1998, the dollar value of fees collected and the number that reported catching lobster. There were 2,181 commercial lobster licenses issued during 1998: 1,570 coastal, 529 offshore and 82 seasonal. Non-commercial licenses issued totaled 1 1,454; a breakdown of their reporting status and landings can be found in Table 6. As of September 13, 1999, a total of 122 licensed commercial lobstermen (5.5 percent) failed to file a catch report with the Division. Of the 2,059 commercial fishermen who reported, 507 or 24.5 percent claimed they did not catch any lobster during 1998. The number of coastal licenses issued continues to decline since a 1988 moratorium on the issuance of new licenses. An annual decrease of approximately two percent per year continued in 1998 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 decreased slightly in 1998. Overall compliance with catch reporting by the offshore fleet appears to be improving. Student commercial licenses increased by approximately 26 percent over last year. Table 1. 1998 Massachusetts Lobster Fishery; Reporting Status of Licenses Issued License Type (Fee) Coastal Commercial ($260) Offshore Commercial ($260) Seasonal (Student) Commercial ($65) Non-Commercial ($40) Licenses Licensing Reported Reported Not Issued Revenue "Catching Lobster" "No Lobster Catch' Reporting 1,570 $408,200 1,161 74% 385 25% 24 2% 529 $137,540 350 66% 115 22% 64 12% 82 $5,330 41 50% 7 9% 34 41% 11,454 $458,160 7,012 61% 1,988 17% 2,454 21% 13,635 $1,009,230 8,564 63% 2,495 18% 2,576 19% Table 2. Massachusetts Com mercial Lobster Fishery; Selected Licens ing Information, 1994 - 1998 Percent Five 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 Year Change Coastal Licenses Issued 1,612 1.609 1,598 1,591 1,570 -2.61% % Change -0.79 -0.68 -0.44 -1.32 "Caught Lobster" 1,194 1,190 1,179 1,162 1,161 % Change -0 15 -0.24 -1.01 1.25 "Did Not Catch Lobster" 401 403 404 407 385 % Change 0.69 0.94 1.19 -4.14 Not Reporting 17 16 15 22 24 % Change -5.71 -5.60 47.31 10.55 Percent Not Reporting 1.1% 1.0% 0.9% 1 .4% 1.5% Offshore Licenses Issued 648 596 551 554 529 -18.36% % Change -8.02 -7.55 0.54 -4.51 "Caught Lobster" 480 439 400 354 350 % Change -0.56 -1.44 -11.98 3.54 "Did Not Catch Lobster" 119 117 114 117 115 % Change 6.90 5.39 2.08 2.94 Not Reporting 49 49 37 83 64 % Change 8.72 -18.32 123.11 -19.25 Percent Not Reporting 7.6% 8.2% 6.7% 15.0% 12.1% Seasonal (Student) Licenses Issued 89 82 65 78 82 -7.87% % Change -7.87 -20.73 20.00 5.13 "Caught Lobster" 49 42 40 39 41 % Change -6.97 -4.76 -2.50 5.13 "Did Not Catch Lobster" 15 12 1 6 7 % Change -13.17 -41.67 -14.29 76.67 Not Reporting 25 28 18 33 34 % Change 21.56 -35. 71 18.00 3.03 Percent Not Reporting 28.1% 34.1% 27.7% 42.3% 41.5% Note: All annual percentage changes are normalized to the number of 1 censes issued for each license type in each year. LANDINGS AND VALUE In 1998, 13,236,091 pounds of lobster were reported landed by commercial lobstermen in Massachusetts, a 12.30 percent decrease from 1997. Based on an average price of $3.62 per pound, the commercial catch was valued at $47,914,649 a 2.61 percent decrease from 1997. Figure 2. shows the weighted ex-vessel price for 1998 as derived from audits of lobstermen's records. The weighted average price of $3.62 rose 1 1 .04 percent over the average ex-vessel price paid in 1997. (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). Of the 13,236,091 pounds of lobster landed commercially, 7,660,274 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 Bristol 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, Fairhaven and New Bedford in that order. In total numbers of active commercial fishermen, Essex County ranked first with 539, Plymouth County second with 318 and Bristol County third with 249. Among the cities and towns of the Commonwealth, Gloucester ranked first in active fishermen followed by New Bedford. Plymouth and Marshfield in that order. See Tables 3 and 5, (the shaded areas in Table 5 refer to the top 10 cities in at least one of the two categories: pounds landed and number of fishermen). Figure 2. 1998 Massachusetts Commercial Lobster Fishery Weighted Ex- Vessel Price Derived from Audited Lobstermen's Records Weighted Regional Prices: North Shore: $3.62 Boston: $3.21 South Shore: $3.67 Weighted State Price: $3.62 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Month Total number of observations = 9,395 Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 8 # _ <-> m ON T Os fS *H O es SO « •-> T OS os r^ i-i 90 r^ SO r- so r- OO u-. r~- es in os z < n m O Tf »-J If) ■w e i/-. i-i r^ i-i — > Ul OS ■» so Os »^ m (-1 00 1^- OS VO © © 00 ^* SO ^^ f"4 r^ — 0 '"I n SO O 00 in 00 SO •r. OS © O^ -w ri oo (-1 © se in o in Cs Cs' I-- o 00 m fs rs r- m in •— r~ -!■ r\ r*l •rt O ir, ft r- oo U o in 90 M 00 OS SO — r^ r<1 f^ 90 CM © SO SO "i r-' » 1- -f ^r -r so l-l 00 z mJ i/-j r- w t- -T e - t ■« i-l <-i ~~ © i-i i-l Os T SO OS n cs a Vi c e r* -t ^ ">© A, OS — -*t m c_ r-i ■^ - *— rf <■— so — so wm tn c' < "- \r, H 5 M O H +- IT, H (/> ^ 01 > X — : s eg r*i Cv o f^i r»i m ■w OS r- 1-1 r-4 sO — r- in m r-i cs (^i es .,_'. 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SO TT l~- — SO (-1 o Gfl •» u-, r- t~ OS r4 n ir, Tt r- l-l •» © rn » n » in t- 00 SO © Cs oo SO OS E C^ u — «"• ir, -r SO i-i m r-i c cv a Cs 00 r-A es A r-i E S3 > '- a. Z £ i BQ 1*] Se -4 2 5 3 o o z u y I] < C O E « 1 = - — »J o S. O E C 2 v. ■B C s 3 U ~ J U ^ .61 B en <*■»• Q C c« >_. Q C WeS ^ «> B g 5k ■S = - S -5 = - S -S B = , — "^ a -^ - s ZJ E u — S 3 = Z Wl ill c P3 o a: U. B. R S .2 > aj ta O a. O a. > i U.B.> ^U.fi.> S.ta o 3. > % ta a- > t*5 VI O — rz > "S .2 o « O ta eu > 4- * Table 4. Massachusetts Commercial Lobster Fishery; Selected Landings (Lbs.) and Effort Statistics, 1994-98 Percent Five Year 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 Change Total Landings 16,174,818 15,949,362 15,361,045 15,092,015 13,236,091 -18.17 Percent Change -1.39 -3.69 -1.75 -12.30 Total Traps Fished 488,945 482.180 495,651 489,907 505,048 3.29 Percent Change -1.38 2.79 -1.16 3.09 Total Value $47,068,720 $51,037,958 $50,077,007 $49,199,969 $47,914,649 1.80 Percent Change 8.43 -1.88 -1.75 -2.61 TERRITORIAL (Inside 3 Miles) Landings 10,498,316 10,040,721 9,109,902 8,434,199 7,660,274 -27.03 Percent Change -4.36 -9.27 -7.42 -9.18 Value $30,550,100 $32,130,307 $29,698,281 $27,495,489 $27,730,192 -9.23 Percent Change 5.17 -7.57 -7.42 0.85 Trap Landings 10,430,833 10,027,563 9,076,886 8,419,590 7,641,958 -26.74 -3.87 -9.48 -7.24 -9.24 Traps Fished 365,821 358,075 366,946 351,639 368,451 0.72 -2.12 2.48 -4.17 4.78 Non-Trap Landings 40,583 13,158 33,016 14,609 18,316 -54.87 (Gillnet. Diver) -67.58 150.92 -55.75 25.37 NON-TERRITORIAL (Outside 3 Miles) Landings 5,676,502 5,908,641 6,251,143 6,657,816 5,575,816 -1.77 Percent Change 4.09 5.80 6.51 -16.25 Value $16,518,621 $18,907,651 $20,378,726 $21,704,480 $20,184,454 22.19 Percent Change 14.46 7.78 6.51 -7.00 Trap Landings 4,634,960 4.994,645 5,331,921 6,038,239 4,925,368 6.27 7.76 6.75 13.25 -18.43 Traps Fished 123,124 124,106 128,704 138,267 136,596 10.94 0.80 3.70 7.43 -1.21 Non-Trap Landings 1,041,542 913,996 919,222 619,577 650,448 -37.55 (Gillnet. Trawler) -12.25 0.57 -32.60 4.98 Average Price ($) / Pound 2.9 1 3.2 3.26 3.26 3.62 Percent Change 9.97 1.87 0.00 11.04 Ave. Lbs. / Trap-Haul 0.6976 0.7286 0.7296 0.7721 0.6667 Percent Change 4.44 0.14 5.83 -13.65 Ave. Lbs. / Trap 30.81 31.15 29.07 29.51 24.88 Percent Change 1.12 -6.69 1.52 -15.68 10 Table 5. 1998 Massachusetts Commercial Lobster Fishery Number of Active Commercial Fishermen and Landings by Homeport Does Not Include Seasonal Licenses TOWN FISHERMEN POUNDS NUMBER RANK TERRITORIAL POUNDS NON- TERRITORIAL TOTAL POUNDS PERCENT RANK BARNSTABLE-YARMOUTH 10 BEVERLY-DANVERS-SALEM 52 BOSTON 61 BOURNE 8 CHATHAM-HARWICH 56 CHILMARK 21 COHASSET 36 DARTMOUTH-FREETOWN 8 DENNIS-BREWSTER 19 DUXBURY 10 ESSEX 4 FAIRHAVEN 40 FALMOUTH-GOSNOLD 15 GLOUCESTER 218 HINGHAM 17 HULL 31 IPSWICH-ROWLEY 20 KINGSTON 4 LYNN 6 MANCHESTER 25 MARBLEHEAD 44 MARSHFIELD 74 MATTAPOISETT 12 N AH ANT 21 NANTUCKET 9 NEW BEDFORD 166 NEWBURYPORT-NEWBURY 23 ORLEANS-EASTHAM 23 PLYMOUTH 91 PROVINCETOWN 37 QUINCY 7 REVERE 12 ROCKPORT 64 SALISBURY 6 SANDWICH 44 SAUGUS 26 SCITUATE-NORWELL 61 SWAMPSCOTT 22 TISBURY-EDGARTOWN-OAK BLUFFS 13 TRURO 8 WAREHAM-MARION 1 1 WELLFLEET 4 WESTPORT-SWANSEA-FALL RIVER 41 WEYMOUTH 6 WINTHROP 1 5 27 8 6 29 7 19 13 29 21 27 32 11 23 1 22 14 20 32 31 16 9 4 25 19 28 2 17 17 3 12 30 25 5 31 9 15 6 18 24 29 26 32 10 31 62,483 334,915 319,709 18,910 188,282 110.811 296,481 11.973 67,141 49,183 336 221,043 41,703 915,109 197,853 206,018 29,008 27.107 13,289 181,903 307,648 738,444 66,576 156,804 13,398 255,732 58,451 110,375 704,630 190,966 6,079 129,678 413,050 7,252 339,062 198,373 256,557 154,833 22,353 16.056 35,778 28.825 72,677 4,677 70.245 447,298 509,780 161,724 496,639 110,726 430,435 70 18,980 219,082 407^64 114,302 225.112 56.281 352,762 0 1 1 ,973 714 67,855 0 49,183 0 336 646,257 867,300 23,034 64,737 1,264,974 2,180,083 36,633 234,486 68,153 274,170 0 29.008 0 27,107 51.805 65.094 25,844 207,747 82,390 390,038 160,090 898,534 12.655 79,231 34,443 191,247 45,701 59,098 576,811 832,543 11,616 70,067 27,439 137,814 42,066 746,696 13,536 204,502 5,606 11,685 105,567 235,245 79,193 492,243 2,575 9,827 287,062 626,124 18,395 216,768 224,270 480,826 14,178 169,011 3,688 26,041 2,000 18.056 0 35,778 0 28,825 524,777 597,454 3,443 8,120 0 70,245 3.87 3.77 3.27 0.14 3.10 1.71 2.68 0.09 0.52 0.37 0.00 6.59 0.49 16.57 1.78 2.08 0.22 0.21 0.49 1.58 2.96 6.83 0.60 1.45 0.45 6.33 0.53 1.05 5.68 1.55 0.09 1.79 3.74 0.07 4.76 1.65 3.65 1.28 0.20 0.14 0.27 0.22 4.54 0.06 0.53 8 9 12 39 13 19 15 41 29 33 45 3 31 1 18 16 35 37 30 21 14 2 26 4 28 25 5 22 42 17 10 43 6 20 11 24 38 40 34 36 7 44 27 STATEWIDE TOTAL 1,501 7,651,771 5,504^93 13,156,164 100.00 OUTOFSTATE 8,503 71,423 79.926 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 1998 totaled 1 1,454, up slightly from 1997, with 9,000 or 78 percent, reporting that they fished for lobster. In general, reporting rates dropped slightly and the percentage of license holders fishing increased. Landings decreased by approximately 1 .4 percent from 1997. The number of traps fished in the recreational fishery has risen steadily for the past few years. The number of hours dived has continued to decline from 1993 levels. Landings amounted to 329,444 pounds or only 2.5 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 1998. 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. 1998 Massachusetts Recreational Lobster Fishery; License Status and Harvest Information License Type: Diver Diver/Pot Potman Total Percent 1) Number of Licenses Issued in 1998 3,760 3,194 4,500 11,454 2) Number That Reported 2,758 2,723 3,519 9,000 78.58% a) Total Number That Fished 2,095 2,065 2,852 7,012 61.22% b) Total Number That Did Not Fish 663 658 667 1,988 17.36% 3) Number That Did Not Report 952 620 980 2,454 21.42% Percent Change 4) Number of Lobsters Reported Landed 39,789 72,343 147,273 259,405 from 1997 Pounds of Lobsters (Calculated)* 50,532 91,876 187,037 329,444 -2.23% 5) Number Pots Fished 7,035 21,534 28,569 0.60% 6) Number of Hours Diving 30,850 25,351 56,201 -0.19% * Based on 1 .27 Pounds per Lobster. 12 TERRITORIAL FISHERY Territorial landings by commercial fishermen were concentrated in the months of July through November when 74 percent of the yearly harvest was landed. A typical yearly scenario is for catches to increase sometime in mid to late July and peak in August and September. Water temperatures rise during this time inducing growth and subsequent recruitment of previously sub- legal lobsters into the legal size category. The bulk of 1998 landings were distributed July through November with concentrated landings in September, October and November. Landings in 1997 reflected a more uniform distribution with concentrations August through October. See Table 7 and Figure 3. The greatest harvest of lobster from territorial waters was from the Boston Harbor vicinity (including the outlying areas which comprise Area 4 on Figure 1A), where approximately 18.5% of the state's territorial harvest was caught. Table 7. 1998 Massachusetts Commercial Lobster Fishery Percent Monthly Territorial Harvest by License Type Month Coastal Seasonal January 2.02 0.00 February 0.97 0.00 March 1.09 0.00 April 3.01 0.00 May 4.25 0.00 June 6.16 17.43 July 12.51 37.96 August 12.12 33.24 September 17.09 11.37 October 15.32 0.00 November 16.76 0.00 December 8.69 0.00 Total 100.00 100.00 C 1 c 2 1.5 > X Figure 3. 1998 Massachusetts Commercial Lobster Fishery Total Monthly Territorial Harvest for Coastal and Seasonal License Types 7.08°/. 6.74% Total Territorial Harvest = 7,660,274 lbs. Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Month 13 Table 8. 1998 Massachusetts Commercial Lobster Fishery Percent Territorial Harvest by Area Fished by License Type Area Fished Coastal Seasonal 1 6.94 5.29 2 16.22 38.23 3 11.59 7.93 4 18.52 0.00 5 9.17 4.79 6 7.50 12.87 7 5.26 2.64 8 10.39 0.00 9 3.64 0.00 ! 10 0.63 11.81 11 0.00 0.00 12 1.42 0.00 13 3.59 12.77 14 5.13 3.67 Total Pounds 7,651,054 9,220 Territorial landings were down 9.2 percent in 1998. Although many areas including Boston Harbor saw notable decreases in their percentage share of territorial landings, a few areas, including Plum Island/Merrimac River and Buzzards 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 statistical reporting area. C o Figure 4. 1998 Massachusetts Commercial Lobster Fishery Total Territorial Harvest for Coastal and Seasonal License Types by Area Fished S 3 B t/2 > J-H X 2 13 Total Territorial Harvest = 7,660,274 lbs. 18.49% 10.38% 1.42% 3.60% 5.13% 3.64% ^4% n ono/„ 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Area 14 Figure 5. 1 998 Massachusetts Lobster Fishery; Landings by Statistical Reporting Area -(See Figures 1 A & 1 B for References to Reporting Areas) director philip c. coates N XLYSS IS Maamkustitti Geographic Information St/Mtem rt'hMrrt",r**Jr BxttUlittt Office of EmmrwKnijil Affmn • 1399 Scale =1:3,120,000 0 miles 20 40 60 80 LEGEND 0-250,000 LBS (N = 8) 250,001 -500,000 LBS (N = 6) 500,001 -1,000,000 LBS (N = 7) 1,000,001 -2,000,000 LBS (N = 3) 2,000,001 -3,000,000 LBS (N = 1) 44 00 00 43 00 00 42 00 00 4100 00 40 00 00 n^ i ii i | ii i i i \ i i i i i \ 7100 00 70 00 00 69 00 00 68 00 00 67 00 00 66 00 00 15 CATCH RATES The average catch per trap haul for coastal lobstermen was .5971 pounds, a decrease from 1997. For traps fished one set-over day the average was, .2359; for those fished two days, .5071, for three days, .5312, and for four days, .6409. 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 1998 was .1683, a thirty-five percent decrease from 1997 and a eleven percent decrease from 1993. 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. 1998 Massachusetts Commercial Lobster Fishery Catch per Unit of Effort by Set-Over Day for Coastal Potmen and All Potmen 1.5 X I C3 S-H H S-H o I *- < 3 X I a. 03 H a, C 3 O Oh 0.3 0.2 0.1 0 Coastal License Potmen All Potmen Average CPUE for All Potmen = 0.1683 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Month Figure 8. 1998 Massachusetts Commercial Lobster Fishery Catch per Unit of Effort for All License Types by Area Fished 0.4 a s- O 0.3 i u * 03 03 ■— a> 0.2 a 0.1 C/5 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 $29,062,366, diving gear at $83,492 and power and non-power boats at $69,569,91 7 yielding a total gear value of $98,715,775. Combined with the ex-vessel value of lobster sold, $47,914,649 this gives a total fishery value of $146,630,424. See Tables 9, 10 and 11. Overall, 87% of the traps fished in the commercial fishery were wire framed, with 12% being wooden framed and approximately 0.4% categorized as "other". Average value (including warp and buoy) ranged anywhere from $42.70 to $1 10.1 1 with an average value of $57.40. See Table 9. Table 9. 1998 Massachusetts Commercial Lobster Fishery Trap Types Fished and Value by License Type Total Percent Coastal Offshore Seasonal Trap Type of Total Wooden Framed Traps 57,878 4,807 77 62,762 12.40% Value $3,120,808 $456,384 $4,045 $3,581,237 Value/Trap $53.92 $94.94 $52.67 $57.06 Wire Framed Traps 408,352 32,459 759 441,570 87.21% Value $22,620,000 $2,673,881 $35,863 $25,329,744 Value/Trap $55.39 $82.38 $47.24 $57.36 Other Trap Types 1,021 979 0 2,000 0.39% Value $43,590 $107,795 $0 $151,385 Value/Trap $42.70 $110.11 $0.00 $75.70 Total for License Type 467,251 38,245 836 506,332 Value $25,784,398 $3,238,060 $39,908 $29,062,366 Value/Trap $55.18 $84.67 $47.74 $57.40 Value of trap includes warp and buoy. 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I? 01 = © a. o 0. E o Z 5 > 5 © a. © © z 5 v>5 R O >- - a w 5 « a os s :s I © a a. z VALIDITY OF DATA Each year 150 coastal license holders are selected for audit and asked to submit the records they used to complete the harvest portion of their catch report. The Division does this to help estimate the amount of error involved in the reporting process. Selection is done randomly except when fishermen fail an audit. In these cases, they are audited again the following year. The audit was first instituted in 1977 for the 1976 catch reports. Over the last five years the lobstermen selected for audit reported landing 7,913,783 pounds. The audit of their records revealed a harvest of 7,921,421 pounds or a difference of -0.96 percent. Last year the fishermen selected for audit reported harvesting 1,807,165 pounds of lobster on their 1997 catch reports. The audit of actual records showed total landings of 1,824,679 pounds, a difference of 17,514 pounds or -0.97 percent. Seven 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 3D 30 Overall Percent Difference = -.97% 25 a 20 Z 15 Under-reported Over-reported 10 5 r\ ii i i 1 ii 1 III III IiIiiii ■ mlii i -60 -40 Number of Fishermen Audited = 143 -20 0 20 Percent Difference 40 60 21 Figure 10. Coastal Map of Massachusetts Showing County Boundaries SGaDerGoos DIRECTOR PHILIP G. OOATES County Border Town Border Territorial Reporting Areas 22 lit 3> K. i m as IU -. i.n •< in I :• i.n ,X.l I" i" ■ < "1 :at 111 1.1 ro in to i in i.n i:,i\> i i;u I—. in !-»■ i . . KS> ft' n o :3c at ii j ■ ii i:' in nj in ii -V, I^B ■ Si ■ * <■■ ml I 9Hr9 ■ til HrtH ■ ^H a;;-. ■ !SEi ■H ■ ■ ■ m v ■ % ' '•»« ■ I MS! ■ 1 \M J 4 I < •:- t*' K.3 ■ V m m ■ ■ ■ H • ■ ■ 1 ty Hal .. • I ..■:.•>* ■ . /■*-' H I M V-'**: ■ •>>; (/ 1 ■