Report: Groundfish revenue up, catch down
New England fishermen brought in more money under a new federal sector management system, according to a preliminary report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
New England groundfish landings revenues in 2010 were more than $62 million, an increase over 2009's $59.5 million. However, the value of groundfish landed at Maine ports fell from $4.8 million in 2009 to $3.6 million in 2010. The value of groundfish caught by Maine-based boats (but not necessarily landed in Maine) was $11.2 million in 2010, an increase from nearly $10 million in 2009. "The increase in home port revenues in the state of Maine, in contrast to the decline in value of groundfish landed in this state, indicates that vessels declaring home ports in Maine are landing their catch in other ports," the report concludes.
New England landings of both groundfish and non-groundfish species have dropped 15% since 2008, and the number of active vessels in 2010 decreased 18% from 2007, the report found. Maine's groundfishing vessels dropped from 62 in 2009 to 43 in 2010.
The report studied the 2010 fishing season from May 2010 to January 2011. Last May, new regulations divided most fishermen into groups, called sectors, and gave them shares of an allotted catch of each species. NOAA said it's too early to conclude that the new sector management is responsible for higher revenues in 2010, according to The Associated Press. The group is planning to release an updated report to cover the entire 2010 fishing season in August.
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