FV Knightmare headed toward Owls Head Light, built in 1826. In 1791, with the first Maine lighthouse at Portland Head, the new nation began what was at the time, a high-tech marine communications infrastructure project that would last more than a century. The last lighthouse built in Maine, the Robinson Point Light at Isle Au Haut, was built in 1907. ©Peter Ralston photo

Atlantic Herring

Balancing the Tradeoffs

by Laurie Schreiber

MYSTIC, Conn.—At its April meeting, the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) approved a wide range of alternatives for Amendment 8 to its Atlantic herring management plan.

According to a NEFMC press release, alternatives fall into two categories:

• proposals to address potential localized depletion and user conflicts in the fishery;

• options to establish an acceptable biological catch (ABC) control rule that would be used when setting specifications and catch limits.

The goal of the control rules is to spread out the fishery for 2017, to ensure it consistently supplies enough herring for use as lobster bait.

“The state of Maine relies on a regular supply of lobster bait, as do New Hampshire and Massachusetts,” said NEFMC member Terry Stockwell, who represents Maine. “We want to make sure the bait lasts and that the rule limiting the catch are fairly applied.”

NEFMC initiated Amendment 8 in 2015 to address the biological needs of the resource and consider the ecological importance of Atlantic herring, including its role as a forage species. NEFMC hosted two workshops in 2016 to get input on potential ABC control Rules. NEFMC is tentatively expected to select preferred

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