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/massachusettslob1999mass ?^v I '' . ' * r . H MM i* I « ■■■ ■ fl ■ I MBl - H I tit ■ ■ ■ i ■ .W GOVERNMENT DOCUMENTS COLLECTION DEC 0 3 2001 University of Massacr.u^.. Depository Copy MASSACHUSETTS DIVISION OF MARINE FISHERIES 1999 MASSACHUSETTS LOBSTER FISHERY STATISTICS by Holly M. McBride Research Analyst 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 Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries Technical Report TR-2 (Lobster Statistics Publication 34) *-""Mf"0v^ A contribution of Interjurisdictional Fisheries Act (P.L.I 1-407) Project (NA06FI0001) 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 Paul J. Diodati, 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 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 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 1,549 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 1999 is described on Page 2. This report is the thirty-third 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 fourteenth 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 1 1-407). 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, hours dived 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 April, 2001 and are not expanded to represent all of the permits issued in 1999. 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 1999, the Division authorized the transfer of 46 coastal lobster licenses. Twenty 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). Twelve 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-six licenses were forfeited to the Division in 1999; thirteen 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 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. 1999 Massachusetts Lobster Fishery; Statistical Reporting Map Showing Territorial Waters and Outlying Areas 'flr JcSL/GDOCS Li-:a.JQ(2tJU DIRECTOR PAULJ. DK5DATI N -.-'.; MnsstKluisetts Geographic hijtxiiwtiaii System h/rts$r.chiistits ExtCtilive Office o* Enviroime* trU Annies • 2001 Scale = 1:1,320,000 I 0 miles 10 20 30 Description of Boundaries for Territorial Areas Between Between Areas Boundaries Areas Boundaries I & 2 Castle Neck, Ipswich - Territorial Line 1 1 & 1 2 70 Degree Longitude Line 2 & 3 Gales Pt, Manchester - Territorial Line 12 & 13 41 Degree 20 Minute Longitude Line 3 & 4 Red Rock, Lynn - Territorial Line 1 3 & 1 4 Elizabeth Islands and Sow & Pigs Reef 4 & 5 Strawberry Pt, Cohasset - Territorial Line to Territorial Line 5 & 6 High Pines Ledge, Plymouth - 1 20 Foot Line 14 & 1 5 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) arc federal waters, 8 & 9 70 Degree Longitude Line but arc managed by DMF. 9 & 1 0 70 Degree Longitude Line 9 & 1 1 41 Degree 20 Minute Longitude Line J = Territorial Waters 1 0 & 1 2 Wasque Pt, MV - Muskeget Island, Nantucket 1 0 & 1 3 Succonnesset Pt, Mashpee - Cape Pogue, MV Cashes Ledge 43 00 00 42 00 00 41 00 00 71 00 00 70 00 00 69 00 00 Figure IB. 1 999 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. UcKcCrm [ DIRECTOR PAUL J DIODATI N Masvzhuvtrs Enroll* Offtfr o' Efiz/iroiiwmrtl Afein - 2001 Scale = 1:3,120,000 0 miles 20 40 60 Hague Line Territorial Waters 80 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 1.27 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 1999, the dollar value of fees collected and the number that reported catching lobster. There were 2,164 commercial lobster licenses issued during 1999: 1,549 coastal, 526 offshore and 89 seasonal. Non-commercial licenses issued totaled 1 1,633; breakdown of their reporting status and landings can be found in Table 6. As of April, 2001, a total of 95 licensed commercial lobstermen (4.4 percent) failed to file a catch report with the Division. Of the 2,069 commercial fishermen who reported, 548 or 26.5 percent claimed they did not catch any lobster during 1999. The number of coastal licenses issued continues to decline since a 1988 moratorium on the issuance of new licenses. An annual decrease of approximately 1.3 percent per year continued in 1999 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 1999. Overall compliance with catch reporting by the offshore fleet appears to be improving. Student commercial licenses increased by approximately 8 percent over last year. Table 1. 1999 Massachusetts Lobster Fishery Licenses Licensing License Tvpe (Fee) Issued Revenue ' ; Reporting Status of Licenses Issued Reported Reported Catchine Lobster" "No Lobster Catch" Not Reporting i Coastal Commercial ($260) Offshore Commercial ($260) Seasonal (Student) Commercial ($65) Non-Commercial ($40) 1,549 526 89 11.633 $402,740 $136,760 $5,785 $465,320 1,118 72% 348 66% 55 62% 6.398 81% 417 27% 123 23% 8 9% 2.550 82% 14 1% 55 10% 26 29% 2.685 97% Total 13,797 $1,010,605 7,919 57% 3,098 22% 2,780 20% Table 2. Massachusetts Commercial Lobster Fishery; Selected Licensing Information, 1995 - 1999 Percent Five 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 Year Change Coastal Licenses 1,609 1,598 1,591 1,570 1,549 -3.73% Issued % Change -0.68 -0.44 -7.32 -1.34 "Caught Lobster" 1,190 1,179 1,162 1,161 1,118 % Change -0.24 -1.01 7.25 -2.40 "Did Not Catch Lobster" 403 404 407 385 417 % Change 0.94 1.19 -4.14 9.78 Not Reporting 16 15 22 24 14 % Change -5.60 47.31 70.55 -4ft £# Percent Not Reporting Offshore Licenses 1 .0% 0.9% 1 .4% L5%__ 529 0.9% 596 551 554 526 -77.74% Issued % Change -7.55 0.54 -4.51 -0.57 "Caught Lobster" 439 400 354 350 348 % Change -1.44 -11.98 3.54 0.00 "Did Not Catch Lobster" 117 114 117 115 123 % Change 5.39 2.08 2.94 7.57 Not Reporting 49 37 83 64 55 % Change -18.32 123.11 -79.25 -73.57 Percent Not Reporting 6.7% 15.0% 12.1% 10.5% :.„,'.:': .:;, ::.;] : ... /:.:>.-... ..'. : V : ■■-;£ !;'.;: '. ..-.'iC. !:.■.-;,.';;": _", :_ "" """" Seasonal (Snirlent) Licenses Issued 82 65 78 82 89 8.54% % Change -20. 73 20.00 5.75 8.54 "Caught Lobster" 42 40 39 41 55 % Change 20.15 -2.50 5.73 34.75 "Did Not Catch Lobster" 12 1 6 7 8 % Change -26.41 -74.29 16.67 74.29 Not Reporting 28 18 33 34 26 % Change -18.90 83.33 18.00 -23.53 Percent Not Reporting 27.7% 42.3% 41.5% 29.2% Note: All annual percentage changes are norm alized to the number of licenses issued for each license type in each year. LANDINGS AND VALUE In 1999, 15,905,731 pounds of lobster were reported landed by commercial lobstermen in Massachusetts, a 20.90 percent increase from 1998. Based on an average price of $3.74 per pound, the commercial catch was valued at $59,487,434, a 24.91 percent increase from 1998. Figure 2. shows the weighted ex- vessel price for 1999 as derived from audits of lobstermen's records. The weighted average price of $3.74 rose 3.31 percent over the average ex-vessel price paid in 1998. (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 15,905,731 pounds of lobster landed commercially, 9,603,589 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 Plymouth in that order. In total numbers of active commercial fishermen, Essex County ranked first with 535, Plymouth County second with 321 and Bristol County third with 248. Among the cities and towns of the Commonwealth, Gloucester ranked first in active fishermen followed by New Bedford, Plymouth and Marshfield in that order. See Tables 3 and 5, (the shaded areas in Table 5 refer to the top 10 cities in at least one of the two categories: pounds landed and number of fishermen). 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Massachusetts Commercial Lobster Fishery; Selected Landings (Lbs.) and Effort Statistics, 1995-99 Percent Five Year 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 Change Total Landings 15,949,362 15,361,045 15,092,015 13,236,091 15,905,731 -0.27 Percent Change -3.69 -1.75 -12.30 20.17 Total Traps Fished 482,180 495,651 489,907 505,048 501,097 3.92 Percent Change 2.79 -1.16 3.09 -0.78 Total Value $51,037,958 $50,077,007 $49,199,969 $47,914,649 $59,487,434 16.56 Percent Change -1.88 -1.75 -2.61 24.15 INSHORE (TERRITORIAL - Inside 3 Miles} Landings 10,040,721 9,109,902 8,434,199 7,660,274 9,603,589 -4.35 Percent Change -9.27 -7.42 -9.18 25.37 Value $32,130,307 $29,698,281 $27,495,489 $27,730,192 $35,917,423 11.79 Percent Change -7.57 -7.42 0.85 29.52 Trap Landings 10,027,563 9,076,886 8,419,590 7,641,958 9,589,277 -4.37 -9.48 -7.24 -9.24 25.48 Traps Fished 358,075 366,946 351,639 368,451 367,523 2.64 2.48 -4.17 4.78 -0.25 Non-Trap Landings 13,158 33,016 14,609 18,316 14,189 7.84 (Gillnet, Diver) 150.92 -55.75 25.37 -22.53 OFFSHORE (NON-TERRITORIAL - Outside 3 Miles) Landings 5,908,641 6,251,143 6,657,816 5,575,816 6,302,142 6.66 Percent Change 5.80 6.51 -16.25 13.03 Value $18,907,651 $20,378,726 $21,704,480 $20,184,454 $23,570,011 24.66 Percent Change 7.78 6.51 -7.00 16.77 Trap Landings 4,994,645 5,331,921 6,038,239 4,925,368 5,602,287 12.17 6.75 13.25 -18.43 13.74 Traps Fished 124,106 128,704 138,267 136,596 133,574 7.63 3.70 7.43 -1.21 -2.21 Non-Trap Landings 913,996 919,222 619,577 650,448 699,978 -23.42 (Gillnet, Trawler) 0.57 -32.60 4.98 7.61 Average Price ($) / Pound 3.2 3.26 3.26 3.62 3.74 Percent Change 1.87 0.00 11.04 3.31 Ave. Lbs. / Trap-Haul 0.7286 0.7296 0.7721 0.6667 0.8160 Percent Change 0.14 5.83 -13.65 22.39 Ave. Lbs. / Trap 31.15 29.07 29.51 24.88 30.32 Percent Change -6.69 1.52 -15.68 21.83 Table 5. 1999 Massachusetts Commercial Lobster Fishery - Number of Active Commercial Fishermen and Landings by Homeport Docs Not Include Seasonal (Student) Licenses FISHERMEN NUMBER RANK pr»ir\in« riTV/TOWN INSHORF OFFSHORE TOTAT, PERCENT RANK BARNSTABLE 5 44 56.831 460.515 517.346 3.26 13 BEVERLY 40 11 504.445 156.601 661.046 4.17 7 BOSTON 58 6 419.786 100.432 520.218 3.28 12 BOURNE 7 37 24.739 0 24.739 0.16 39 CHATHAM CHILMARK 45 8 21 20 187.543 86.181 273.724 1.73 1.56 18 21 90.315 156.867 247.183 COHASSET 34 15 435.600 42.310 477.910 3.01 14 DANVERS 6 43 48.244 0 48.244 0.30 33 DARTMOUTH 10 30 7.194 600 7.794 0.05 49 DENNIS 15 24 99.826 382 100.208 0.63 27 DUXBURY 8 34 61.744 0 61.744 0.39 32 EDGARTOWN 4 48 4.635 990 5.625 0.04 50 ESSEX 5 44 17.415 0 17.415 0.11 41 FAIRHAVEN 43 9 254.016 691.759 945.775 5.97 3 FALMOUTH 9 31 13.852 21.921 35.773 0.23 35 GLOUCESTER 211 1 1.133.840 1.714.679 8.065 0 2.848.518 17.97 1 GOSNOLD 4 48 8.065 0.05 47 HARWICH 9 31 14.479 85.989 100.468 0.63 26 HINGHAM 18 23 294.089 45.236 339.326 2.14 16 HULL 29 16 261.284 102.799 364.083 2.30 15 IPSWICH 15 24 34.822 0 34.822 0.22 36 KINGSTON 4 48 30.099 0 30.099 0.19 38 LYNN 5 44 44.313 45.685 89.997 0.57 29 MANCHESTER 23 19 253.127 19.876 273.003 1.72 19 MARBLEHEAD 40 11 432.997 91.533 524.530 3.31 11 MARION 3 52 8.066 0 8.066 0.05 46 MARSHFIELD 77 4 934.862 271.372 1.206.233 7.61 2 MATTAPOISETT 12 28 34.253 8.032 42.285 0.27 34 NAHANT 25 17 245.334 24.135 269.469 1.70 20 NANTUCKET 9 31 6.475 57.276 63.751 0.40 31 NEW BEDFORD 151 2 153.406 635.270 788.677 4.97 6 NEWBURY 3 52 819 800 1.619 0.01 53 NEWBURYPORT 15 24 82.452 14.477 96.929 0.61 28 OAK BLUFFS 3 52 7.863 0 7.863 0.05 48 ORLEANS-EASTHAM PLYMOUTH 21 20 109.304 17.661 126.965 0.80 25 90 3 836.320 53.290 889.610 5.61 4 PROVINCETOWN 36 13 206.445 17.226 223.671 1.41 22 QUINCY 7 37 3.887 126 4.013 0.03 52 REVERE-CHELSEA-MEDFORD 12 28 203.307 6.986 210.292 1.33 24 ROCKPORT 65 5 531.095 119.576 650.671 4.10 8 ROWLEY 3 52 1.300 0 1.300 0.01 54 SALEM 7 37 5.339 0 5.339 0.03 51 SALISBURY 8 34 7.537 3.050 10.587 0.07 43 SANDWICH 36 13 426.226 390.339 279.556 7.862 816.565 5.15 5 SAUGUS 24 18 287.418 1.81 17 SCITUATE 56 7 328.852 270.386 599.237 3.78 10 SWAMPSCOTT 19 22 218.487 0 218.487 1.38 23 TISBURY 8 34 6.691 2.020 8.712 0.05 45 TRURO 7 37 16.949 0 16.949 0.11 42 WAREHAM 7 37 21.978 0 21.978 0.14 40 WELLFLEET 5 44 32.111 0 32.111 0.20 37 WESTPORT- 41 10 64.802 543.416 608.219 3.84 9 SWANSEA - FALL RIVER WEYMOUTH - BRAINTREE 7 37 5.944 3.552 9.496 0.06 44 WINTHROP 13 27 69.504 0 69.504 0.44 30 YARMOUTH 4 48 926 0 926 0.01 55 STATEWIDE TOTAL 1.442 9.583.392 6.271.203 15.854.595 100.00 OUT OF STATE 24 5.113 30.939 36.052 Shaded areas denote towns which rank in the top 10 for number of fishe nnen or total landings or both. RECREATIONAL LOBSTER FISHERY Recreational statistics are shown in Table 6. Licenses issued in 1999 totaled 1 1,633, up slightly from 1998, with 8,948 or 76.92% percent, reporting that they fished for lobster. In general, reporting rates dropped slightly and the percentage of license holders fishing decreased. Landings increased by approximately 1.77% percent from 1998. The number of traps fished in the recreational fishery decreased in 1999. The number of hours dived has continued to decline from 1993 levels. Landings amounted to 335,275 pounds or only 2.1 1 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 2000. Twenty-three 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. 1999 Massachusetts Recreational Lobster Fishery; License Status and Harvest Information License Type: Diver Diver/Pot Potman Total Percent 1 ) Number of Licenses Issued in 1999 3,846 3,245 4,542 11,633 2) Number that Reported 2,872 2,575 3,501 8,948 76.92% a) Total Number That Fished 2,017 1,816 2,565 6,398 55.00% b) Total Number That Did Not Fish 855 759 936 2,550 21.92% 3) Number That Did Not Report 974 670 1,041 2,685 23.08% % Change 4) Number of Lobsters Reported Landed 45,834 73,819 144,343 263,996 from 1998 Pounds of Lobsters (Calculated)* 58,209 93,750 183,316 335,275 1.77% 5) Number Pots Fished 6,312 19,437 25,749 -9.87% 6) Number of Hours Diving 30,869 23,037 53,906 -4.08% * Based on 1 .27 Pounds per Lobster. TERRITORIAL FISHERY Table 7. 1999 Massachusetts Commercial Lobster Fishery Percent Monthly Territorial Harvest by License Type Territorial landings by commercial fishermen were concentrated in the months of July through November when 75 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 1999 landings were distributed July through November with concentrated landings in September, October and November. Landings in 1998 were similar to 1999 with the high concentrations in September, October and November. 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 24.04% of the state's territorial harvest was caught. Month Coastal Seasonal January 3.11 0.00 February 1.21 0.00 March 0.74 0.00 April 1.88 0.00 May 3.51 0.00 June 6.26 14.72 July 11.09 40.03 August 12.71 29.32 September 16.45 15.93 October 18.86 0.00 November 15.65 0.00 December 8.53 0.00 Total 100.00 100.00 Figure 3. 1999 Massachusetts Commercial Lobster Fishery Total Monthly Territorial Harvest for Coastal and Seasonal License Types 3.0 2.5 in C o in > ■— a X C h o ~ 2.0 1.5 1.0 0.5 0.0 18.84% 16.45% 15.63% Total Territorial Harvest = 9,603,589 lbs. 3.11% Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Month Table 8. 1999 Massachusetts Commercial Lobster Fishery Percent Territorial Harvest by Area Fished by License Type Area Fished Coastal Seasonal 1 1.85 2.89 2 17.05 41.19 3 13.12 6.65 4 24.07 6.03 5 9.60 5.41 6 7.53 16.35 7 5.42 5.76 8 10.39 0.00 9 3.38 0.00 10 0.39 1.44 11 0.01 0.00 12 1.48 0.00 13 2.84 7.46 14 2.87 6.82 Total Pounds 9.588.505 14.961 Territorial landings were up 25.51 percent in 1999. 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. "3 2.5 x> 2.0 Figure 4. 1999 Massachusetts Commercial Lobster Fishery Total Territorial Harvest for Coastal and Seasonal License Types by Area Fished to O o h 1.5 1.0 0.5 0.0 24.04% 17.09% .85% Territorial Harvest = 9,603,589 lbs. 2.84% 2.88% 1.48% 0.40% a01o/o 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Area Figure 5. 1999 Massachusetts Lobster Fishery; Landings by Statistical Reporting Area - (See Figures 1 A & IB for References to Reporting Areas) K^DtCDLE QUO jL'SjejOdo® [FcoDuosEtjCi DIRECTOR PAULJ-DIODATI N Missnjhyw.'fs EiKutiix Offic? o* Environmental Atr.irs - 2001 Scale =1:3,120,000 0 miles 20 40 60 80 LEGEND 0-250,000 LBS (N = 9) 250,001 - 500,000 LBS (N = 6) 500,001 - 1,000,000 LBS (N = 5) 1,000,001 - 2,000,000 LBS (N = 3) 2,000,001 - 3,000,000 LBS (N = 2) 44 00 00 43 00 00 42 00 00 41 00 00 40 00 00 ' ^---, --' T- ~'~*\ - A ■ _ .!:■ . £^ t\ "V- / Is > 71 00 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 .8160 pounds, an increase from 1998. For traps fished one set-over day the average was, 1.01 1 1; for those fished two days, 0.6493, for three days, 0.7260, and for four days, 0.7584. 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 1999 was .1655, a 1.66 percent decrease from 1998 and a sixteen percent decrease from 1995. 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. 1999 Massachusetts Commercial Lobster Fishery Catch per Unit of Effort by Set-Over Day for Coastal Potmen and All Potmen 1.8 1.6 1.4 3 1-2 x n. S 1.0 4> a 0.8 £ 0.6 0.4 0.2 0.0 Coastal License Potmen * All Potmen A "~*^«\ \ SL * V-e \ A5*^" 7 8 9 Set-Over Days 10 11 12 13 14 15 0.4 Figure 7. 1999 Massachusetts Commercial Lobster Fishery Catch per Unit of Effort for Coastal and All Potman by Month & 0.3 c3 ■4-* CO *. 0.2 & 0.2 ■- h a 0.1 c 3 0.1 0.0 Coastal License Potman All Potman Average CPUE for All Portmen = .1655 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Month 0.4 Figure 8. 1999 Massachusetts Commercial Lobster Fishery Catch per Unit of Effort for All License Types by Area Fished Q 0.3 £0.3 ■ CO 1 0.2 3 a Q. S 0.2 h u a. T3 C o a. 0.1 0.1 0.0 Areas 1-14 = Massachusetts Territorial Waters See Figure 1 A for Map ■ 10 11 12 13 14 Area Fished FISHING GEAR, VESSELS AND VALUE In the commercial fishery, traps were valued at $29,904,840, diving gear at $0 and power and non-power boats at $36,815 yielding a total gear value of $52,992,195. Combined with the ex- vessel value of lobster sold, $59,487,434 this gives a total fishery value of $141,578,810. See Tables 9, 10 and 11. Overall, 89.14% of the traps fished in the commercial fishery were wire framed, with 10.37% being wooden framed and approximately 0.48% categorized as "other". Average value (including warp and buoy) ranged anywhere from $40.78 to $1 17.16 with an average value of $59.79. See Table 9. Table 9. 1999 Massachusetts Commercial Lobster Fishery Trap Types Fished and Value by License Type Total Dercent Coastal Offshore Seasonal Trap Type of Total Wooden Framed Traps 47,842 3,975 59 51,876 10.37% Value $2,757,468 $440,375 $3,015 $3,200,857.90 Value/Trap $57.64 $110.79 $51.10 $61.70 Wire Framed Traps 405,229 39,514 1,084 445,826 89.14% Value $23,127,317 $3,348,673 $44,210 $26,520,200 Value/Trap $57.07 $84.75 $40.78 $59.49 Other Trap Types 1,406 1,018 0 2,424 0.48% Value $64,570 $119,213 $0.00 $183,783 Value/Trap $45.92 $117.16 $0.00 $75.83 Total for License Type 454,477 44,506 1,143 500,126 Value $25,949,355 $3,908,260 $47,225 $29,904,840 Value/Trap $57.10 $87.81 $41.32 $59.79 Value of trap includes warp and buoy. These figures include out-of-state fishermen. 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H to C3 u a 60 ca 0 w u o c3 O ° S o 22 w o o o 0. o o Oh C3 CJ o PJ .s oo : oo '/=; to u o CQ 0 o o to 3 u D to ?3 CJ a 00 CQ * O oo 0 a 1 ^ o CQ o o to ^ ° to o O op to .S to > ca o CQ Ui o o o to o "3 o CQ Ui o u G to to 00 to O 8 g S to < ~ s C S c ^ •> 5 c =: c Z ^ s s s > == S S c S B <: D> S c to > * s 2 < '3 5 O P. o Z 2 Q O o Z q Q a- O Z o Z < z 5 a. Z §s o 5 to Z o to o Z 3 5 00 M o to O Z to 00 D o to G z O •— o ° Q to 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 -0.10 percent. Last year the fishermen selected for audit reported harvesting 2,024,520 pounds of lobster on their 1999 catch reports. The audit of actual records showed total landings of 2,001,51 1 pounds, a difference of 23,009 pounds or 1.13 percent. None 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 45 Overall Percent 40 35 Difference =1.13% $? 30 3 25- Under-reported Over-reported o-