Urchin harvesters argue against reductions

Determined to hold on to their fishing days in the urchin season, draggers from the eastern end of Zone 2 turned out in full force at April’s Zone 2 Urchin Summit and at the Sea Urchin Zone Council (SUZC) to argue down a 30 percent reduction in landings for their zone.

More than a month earlier, at the Fishermen’s Forum, Department of Marine Resources (DMR) Commis-sioner George Lapointe said he would be looking for a 50 percent reduction in landings in Zone 1 and a 30 percent reduction in landings for Zone 2.

Landings in the 2001-2002 season were 7.4 million pounds, a precipitous drop from the 1993 high of 41 million. Projected landings for 2002-2003 season are about 6 million pounds. While there are fewer licensed harvesters – 887 in 2002 compared with 1,840 in 1995 – it is the decrease in catch per unit of effort that more specifically points to a decline in urchins.

DMR evaluates the status of the sea urchin population by means of landings reports by buyers, catch samples and interviews, a summer dive survey, harvester opinion polls and computer population simulation models. All these indicators have suggested to DMR that a substantial reduction in effort is warranted.

This year, for the first time, SUZC decided to hold two Urchin Summits instead of one. Zone 1, covering the coast from the New Hampshire border to West Penobscot Bay, met March 29 in West Boothbay. Zone 2, reaching from West Penobscot Bay to the Canadian border, met in Ellsworth on April 12.

The purpose of these meetings, held for the last three years, is for industry participants to discuss management options. Their ideas are passed on to the Sea Urchin Zone Council, which at its April meeting makes a recommendation to the Commissioner of Marine Resources. The Commissioner then forms the 2003-2004 season management plan, which goes to public hearings before being voted on by the Department of Marine Resources’ Advisory Council.

Making reductions is difficult. There are few management options available under state law that are easily enforceable by the Marine Patrol.

The decision to hold two separate summits reflected the differences between the resource and the harvesters in each zone. Zone 1, once “carpeted with urchins,” has few urchins left. Most of the remaining harvesters there are divers, with only two or three draggermen still active.

Harvesters in Zone 2 find great variation in current state of the resource. In western half of the zone, West Penobscot Bay to Mount Desert Island, conditions are moving closer to those in Zone 1. But draggermen in the eastern half of Zone 2 report healthy landings.

At the Zone 1 Summit, in an effort to reduce landings by 50 percent, harvesters recommended culling on the bottom, conservation requirements for license holders, no new licenses for one year and reduced days for Zone 1 draggers. Culling on the bottom actually means that divers would put in their bag only legal size urchins. In the bag size tolerance levels of 5 to 20 percent were discussed.

But at the Zone 2 Summit, harvesters dug in their heels, and came up with recommendations that represent 17 to 21 percent reduction in effort. They made it clear that they didn’t see the need to reduce effort. They outnumbered (30 to 4) the industry members who wanted a reduction in effort.

At the SUZC meeting a few days later, they made their case again.

Leo Murray, a dragger from Cobscook Bay, spoke for many when he said, “Everyone in the industry is feeling they are about managed down as much as they can be – they are getting managed out of the industry.”

Another dragger said that “scientists don’t consider the socio-economic situation of fishermen when they make management.”

Lapointe replied that “if we didn’t consider the people in the industry, we would have closed the urchin fishery several years ago. We try to accommodate the needs of industry along with the state of the resource as best we understand it.”

He also pointed out that if 150 came to the public hearing on the 2003-2004 season plan and “say ‘hell no,’ we have a couple of options. Just think how many days are in a closed season.”

Neither Zone wanted to give up days, which numbered 94 in the 2002-2003 season.

At the next council meeting at 5:30 p.m. on May 8 at Orland Town Hall, the Sea Urchin Zone Council will present its final recommendations on seasons. Hearings on the season and lottery will be held in June. The Advisory Council will vote at its July meeting.