Resource Library

Who would want to go fishing and NOT catch any fish?

By Julie Herndon, Cooperative Research Reporter
Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance

Biddeford-Saco-OOB Courier May 3, 2001

A third generation commercial fisherman would. Vincent Balzano of Saco, Maine, owner of the F/V North Star, is fishing for a different kind of catch, one that may be more valuable than a day's worth of fish. He is fishing for information that will ultimately help to restore and manage the fisheries he and his predecessors have depended on for generations.

In a University of New Hampshire collaborative research project, commercial fishermen along the Western Gulf of Maine are assisting graduate student Michael Morin to tag groundfish in areas that are closed to fishing on a rotational basis. Cod is the target species for this study but dab, yellowtail and gray sole will also be tagged.

Although groundfish distribution over large areas has been studied in the past, not much is known about the movement of fish over smaller areas. Because rolling time/area closures are being used to manage these fish, it is important to study whether this approach is working. As stated in the project's website "...protected areas only protect fish that remain within them, and it follows that understanding fish movement is critical in evaluating the effectiveness of this management tool."

Mike Morin tags fish in six rolling area closures along the coast of Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine. Fishermen and vessels from the three states assist him in the sixteen-month project. Capt. Balzano trawls twice monthly in Management Areas 139 and 140, spending one day in each area. In May and June, he will double his trips as more fish arrive.

To insure the survivability of tagged fish, fishermen drag their nets for only thirty minutes. They place the fish in a live tank until Mike tags them. David Goethel, a New Hampshire fisherman who co-wrote the project proposal with U.N.H. professor Hunt Howell, reports that the fish have been healthy when returned to the water. Hauling healthy cod from 70 to 80 fathoms surprised Capt. Balzano. Fishermen also report the fish have been 'big', 24 to 25 inches long.

Fishermen recapturing tagged fish are asked to send information to the U.N.H. Zoology Department by phone, fax or e-mail. Tag number, time and date of recapture and LORAN coordinates are the most important information. Additional useful information includes size of fish (to determine growth rates), depth of tow, substrate type, reproductive condition and water temperature. Fishermen must release fish under legal size with tags intact.

Over 250 fish have been tagged and a few have been recaptured. One fish, captured off Gloucester, Massachusetts, was found south of where it had been released, an unexpected result as fish tend to move up the coast this time of year. Capt. Goethel provided insight into this finding. A fisherman caught this cod shortly after nor'easters had forced fish in a southerly direction to seek the deeper water past Jeffrey's Ledge.

Dr. Howell explains that the data collected will be used to determine when different species arrive in the area, how long they stay and when they leave. This information will clarify whether the fish are using these six areas for spawning or as a nursery or whether they are simply aggregating there. Ultimately, the study will determine the effectiveness of these rolling closures in rebuilding stocks in an effort to maintain the fisheries for future harvesting.

And that is where fishermen NOT catching fish come in. On March 27, Capt. Balzano knew when he reeled in his net from Area 139, few fish would be hitting the F/V North Star's deck. He caught two cod that day. Fishermen whose livelihoods depend on nets full of fish would normally consider this a waste of time and fuel. But Dr. Howell explains this as 'proving the negative'. By not catching fish, the study validates fishermen's knowledge regarding the seasonal movement of fish. Capt. Balzano agrees. When asked what his hopes were for this research project he stated 'to get more of a scientific grip on what we know instinctively.' He also predicts Mike will be tagging more fish as summer approaches and cod move into shallower water.

This study, funded by the Northeast Consortium, represents only one of several ongoing collaborative efforts to improve management of Northeast fisheries. To learn more about this study, visit the website at http://marine.unh.edu/codtagging. And if you catch a U.N.H. tagged fish, you may contact Michael Morin by phone at 603-862-4153, by fax at 603-862-3784 or by e-mail at sharkmiser@yahoo.com.