Lobstermen facing ban tell state DEP to back off
By Amy Renczkowski Publication: The Day
Published 07/13/2010 12:00 AM
Updated 07/13/2010 11:45 AM
P
At hearing, they doubt official line that moratorium is not only option
Old Lyme — Lobstermen who packed a state Department of Environmental Protection meeting Monday left officials with a simple message: Leave us alone.
The crowd of 150 people at a public hearing held by the DEP's Marine Fisheries Division made it clear that they understood there was a shortage of lobsters but that a five-year ban on lobster harvesting in the region would be disastrous.
"To do a closure of this magnitude would be a travesty," said Sidney J. Holbrook, former commissioner of the DEP. "I can't even see it on the table."
"We're either catching too many or catching not enough," said Bart Mansi, a commercial lobsterman from Guilford and a member of the Connecticut Commercial Lobstermen's Association. "We just want to be left alone."
The hearing at the Marine Headquarters Education Center in Old Lyme was held in response to a report published in April by a committee of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, which sets fishing regulations in the region. The report called the southern New England lobster population "critically depleted" and said "continued fishing pressure reduces the stock's potential to rebuild."
The report listed several possible causes for the decline and recommended a controversial moratorium on lobster fishing from Cape Cod south, including Long Island Sound, for five years.
Though the DEP emphasized that the moratorium is not the only option on the table, lobstermen and commercial fishermen spoke as if it were already decided.
They pushed for answers from state officials on how the state would help their livelihood, how it would preserve the lobster industry and how it would rebuild the lobster stock. Conservation, they said, wasn't the only answer.
"I got a retirement to look forward to. What do you want me to do?" asked commercial lobsterman Peter Consiglio of East Haven. "Did you think about what's going to happen when the stock rebuilds after five years and something knocks them out?"
They voiced frustrations on how much they've given back and adapted to state regulations.
"Just leave it alone," Consiglio said.
David Simpson, director of the Marine Fisheries Division, said doing nothing is not an option. The DEP asked for feedback on what options should be considered to rebuild the lobster population over the next five years.
Simpson presented statistics on the status of the southern New England lobster stock. He said the DEP is looking at fishery management: It wants to rebuild the lobster stock so that it can support a viable, sustainable commercial and recreational fishery again. It also is looking at petitioning state and federal officials to seek financial assistance for lobstermen.
"This is not a healthy industry. I think it's clear with the figures," Simpson said.
"You could be fatalistic and say, catch all the rest of them and move on," Simpson said. "But that's a pessimistic attitude. I'd rather set goals."
Another informational meeting will be held at 7 p.m. this Thursday at the Sound School in New Haven. The lobstermen's ideas will be considered by the three-member delegation that will represent Connecticut at the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission's Lobster Management Board meeting on July 22 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Warwick, R.I.
The commission will consider drafting a document on the regulations on July 22, and a series of public hearings will be held for feedback from lobstermen. A final decision won't be made until the fall and then implemented next summer.
a.renczkowski@theday.com
By Amy Renczkowski Publication: The Day
Published 07/13/2010 12:00 AM
Updated 07/13/2010 11:45 AM
P
At hearing, they doubt official line that moratorium is not only option
Old Lyme — Lobstermen who packed a state Department of Environmental Protection meeting Monday left officials with a simple message: Leave us alone.
The crowd of 150 people at a public hearing held by the DEP's Marine Fisheries Division made it clear that they understood there was a shortage of lobsters but that a five-year ban on lobster harvesting in the region would be disastrous.
"To do a closure of this magnitude would be a travesty," said Sidney J. Holbrook, former commissioner of the DEP. "I can't even see it on the table."
"We're either catching too many or catching not enough," said Bart Mansi, a commercial lobsterman from Guilford and a member of the Connecticut Commercial Lobstermen's Association. "We just want to be left alone."
The hearing at the Marine Headquarters Education Center in Old Lyme was held in response to a report published in April by a committee of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, which sets fishing regulations in the region. The report called the southern New England lobster population "critically depleted" and said "continued fishing pressure reduces the stock's potential to rebuild."
The report listed several possible causes for the decline and recommended a controversial moratorium on lobster fishing from Cape Cod south, including Long Island Sound, for five years.
Though the DEP emphasized that the moratorium is not the only option on the table, lobstermen and commercial fishermen spoke as if it were already decided.
They pushed for answers from state officials on how the state would help their livelihood, how it would preserve the lobster industry and how it would rebuild the lobster stock. Conservation, they said, wasn't the only answer.
"I got a retirement to look forward to. What do you want me to do?" asked commercial lobsterman Peter Consiglio of East Haven. "Did you think about what's going to happen when the stock rebuilds after five years and something knocks them out?"
They voiced frustrations on how much they've given back and adapted to state regulations.
"Just leave it alone," Consiglio said.
David Simpson, director of the Marine Fisheries Division, said doing nothing is not an option. The DEP asked for feedback on what options should be considered to rebuild the lobster population over the next five years.
Simpson presented statistics on the status of the southern New England lobster stock. He said the DEP is looking at fishery management: It wants to rebuild the lobster stock so that it can support a viable, sustainable commercial and recreational fishery again. It also is looking at petitioning state and federal officials to seek financial assistance for lobstermen.
"This is not a healthy industry. I think it's clear with the figures," Simpson said.
"You could be fatalistic and say, catch all the rest of them and move on," Simpson said. "But that's a pessimistic attitude. I'd rather set goals."
Another informational meeting will be held at 7 p.m. this Thursday at the Sound School in New Haven. The lobstermen's ideas will be considered by the three-member delegation that will represent Connecticut at the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission's Lobster Management Board meeting on July 22 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Warwick, R.I.
The commission will consider drafting a document on the regulations on July 22, and a series of public hearings will be held for feedback from lobstermen. A final decision won't be made until the fall and then implemented next summer.
a.renczkowski@theday.com