August 19, 2010 

MarineFisheries Advisory

 

Current dealer reporting data indicates quotas for striped bass, summer flounder and dogfish, will be realized next week. 

The 2010 commercial striped bass quota (1,128,577 lbs) will be reached by Sunday, August 22 st, prompting a closure effective Monday, August 23 nd, at 0001 hours.  This fishery will re-open in July, 2011.  Dealers are reminded that all striped bass imported into Massachusetts shall meet or exceed 34” through August 31st. After August 31st all striped bass imported into Massachusetts must be tagged designating the state of origin and shall meet or exceed the minimum size in place for the state of origin.

The 2010 commercial summer flounder quota (846,667 lbs.) will be obtained by the end of the fishing day, 2000 hours (8:00 PM), on Tuesday, August 24th.  This fishery will be closed from Wednesday, August 25, 2010 through January 31, 2011. The 2011 Period I fishery is scheduled to open on February 1, 2010 with a 500-lb. daily possession limit for net gears.

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission Northern Region 2010/2011 quota for spiny dogfish (8,272,448 lbs) is expected to be reached on Tuesday, August 24, 2010. The commercial possession and landing of spiny dogfish is prohibited effective 0001 hours on Wednesday, August 25, 2010. The spiny dogfish fishery in the Northern Region is scheduled to re-open May 1, 2011, further information regarding the 2011/2012 quota and annual specification will be provided once determined. 

Commercial fishermen are reminded that August, 2010 trip-level reports are due by September 15, 2010, even if the permit was not fished. Please ensure that trip-level reports are received by MarineFisheriesno later than the deadline. Failure to submit these reports in a timely manner may result in the non-renewal of a permit or permit endorsement in 2011. Take notice that beginning in 2010, monthly trip-level reports have taken the place of annual catch reports; annual catch reports no longer need to be provided to MarineFisheries.

Trip level reports should be sent to DMF Statistics Project, 30 Emerson Ave, Gloucester, MA 01930.  Blank forms and instructions were mailed out prior to the beginning of the 2010 commercial fishing season, and additional copies can be obtained from the MarineFisheries web site at: http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/dmf/commercialfishing/trip_level.htm

For further information on closures and reporting contact DMF at 617-626-1520 or please visit our website at www.mass.gov/marinefisheries.

Savin Hill, South Boston, and Columbia Yacht Clubs are having a terrible time with theft at their clubs (most of theft is done to the boats on moorings). All boaters should keep a list of the equipment with serial numbers that are left on the boat. We are providing a form to list your equipment so you will have something to give the police in case your boat is robbed. Download this form is here and look for it in the July issue of The Lighthouse.

BOD meeting: Thursday, September 2, 2010, 6:30 p.m
General Membership Meeting: Thursday, September 9, 2010, 7:30 p.m.

The following yacht clubs have extended the use of clubhouse, guest facilities and anchorage to members of the DYC

• Beachmont Yacht Club            168 Pearl Ave, Revere, Mass 02151-4254
• Broadsound Tuna Club, Inc.     567 North Shore Road, Revere, MA 02151
• Chelsea Yacht Club                  One Broadway, P.O. Box 6008, Chelsea, Mass 02150
• Jeffries Yacht Club                    565 Sumner St., East Boston, Mass 02128-2258
• Jubilee Yacht Club                    PO Box 104, Tucks Point, Beverly, MA 01915
• Lynn Yacht Club                       84-86 Lynnway, Lynn, MA 01902
• Metropolitan Yacht Club            39 Vinedale Rd, Braintree, MA 02184
• Orient Heights Yacht Club         61 Bayswater St., East Boston, MA 02128
• Pleasant Park Yacht Club         562 Pleasant St., Winthrop, MA 02152
• Riverside Yacht Club                52 Ship Avenue, Medford, MA 02155
• Salem Willows Yacht Club         P.O. Box 143, Salem, MA 01970
• Savin Hill Yacht Club                 400 Morrissey Blvd, Dorchester, MA 02125
• Squantum Yacht Club               646 Quincy Shore Drive, Quincy, MA 02170-2220
• Wessagussett Yacht Club         P.O. Box 74, N. Weymouth, MA 02191

CALLING ALL MEMBERS!!!
Please update your email address with the secretary; many email addresses are not working, and notices sent out via email have been bouncing back! Thanks!

At the General Membership Meeting on July 9, 2009, it was voted to add the following to both the Inboard and Outboard Float Rules.
"Beginning on January 1, 2010, all boat owners, before docking a boat at the float to which the boat owner is assigned, must show Proof of Insurance to the Float Committee Chairman or his representative for boats kept in the marina or on moorings of the yacht club. Minimum coverage shall include $500,000 for environmental damage and $300,000 for Protection & Indemnity liability. The yacht club will be named a "certificate holder" of the insurance.”

New federal law requires most saltwater recreational fishermen to be documented in 2010. Massachusetts fishermen will be required to register with the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). However, recently enacted state law, “An Act Instituting Saltwater Fishing Licenses,” enables MarineFisheries to build and implement a state permitting program for 2011 and beyond that will exempt the Commonwealth’s saltwater recreational anglers from the federal registry. The new state law triggers a transition from the federal registry in 2010 to the state’s marine recreational fishing permit program in 2011. Governor Patrick signed the permit act into law on November 23rd after it passed unanimously through the Legislature.

Support for the act was driven by a large group of recreational stakeholders seeking a state permitting program that would exempt anglers from a highercost federal license in 2011 and ensure license revenues went to local user benefits. Representatives of the recreational fishery advocated strongly for a state program including services to enhance public access for saltwater sportsmen and improving fisheries management. Stakeholders insisted the new state law establish a dedicated saltwater recreational fishing fund and 1/3 of annual appropriated permit funds be devoted to public access projects. They determined that a proposed $10 individual permit fee for resident and non-resident anglers alike would be substantially lower than the fee proposed by the federal government for 2011 yet high enough to add benefits for the Commonwealth’s recreational fisheries and fishermen.

MarineFisheries will work during the next year to develop the state’s permitting program and will provide public updates via its website, www.mass.gov/marinefisheries. Meanwhile, MarineFisheries will be working with NMFS to assist anglers with federal registration during 2010. Massachusetts anglers who fish in federal waters, or target or catch anadromous species (saltwater fish that spawn in freshwater) like shad, striped bass or smelt in any tidal or salt waters must register beginning January 1, 2010.

Some anglers are exempt from registration in 2010: those under 16; patrons on permitted charter, party or guide boats; anglers who hold a Migratory Species Angling permit; anglers fishing commercially under a valid commercial permit; or are already registered in an exempted state. Federal registration is free in 2010 and starting January 1, 2010, you can register by calling 888.MRIP.411 (888.674.7411) or online at www.countmyfish.noaa.gov.

from the Division of Marine Fisheries 2009 newsletter