A Statement Of Fact

FV Kelly Sea: Icing is not a new problem. Steaming home though rough seas while top heavy with ice is a new demand born of days at sea regulations. Photos: Roth

Is this just a fisherman’s wife point of view or am I missing something. I am typically a quiet woman and usually let the cards fall where they may, however, not only are the new NMFS regulations hurting us financially, they are costing lives at a rapid pace. Just in the past few weeks, six lives and three boats were lost at sea. With the regulations constantly changing, it makes it very difficult to fish safely to support a family.

With the new GOM-DA (Gulf of Maine Differentional Area), which mandates using two days at sea for one day of fishing, it forces smaller boats to fish further off shore, so as to save DAS (days at sea).

Fisherman should be allocated steaming times particularly when bad weather is approaching. Shouldn’t a severe weather statement from the U.S. Coast Guard be considered a deciding factor, or reason enough to alter the current regulations, allowing a captain to decide to ride out a storm, without using allotted fishing days, vs. making the life or death decision to steam home, and hope you can keep up with the de-icing of your vessel before a tragedy strikes.

NMFS has made it mandatory that all fishing vessels who fish for multi-species, must have a VMS (vessel monitoring system) therefore NMFS has the availability and should be aware of any vessels position, speed and heading, at ail times.

With this type of system, you would think some type of allowance on steaming or layover time during heavy weather, would be permitted. Which is not the case now. This equipment has access to email.

In closing, with all the technology available, safety should come before security. The government and the conservationists are so concerned about saving fish, how about saving fishermans lives!

Kelly Roth, owner of the F/V Kelly Sea