Tag Archives: Massachusetts Restricted Area

New England lobstermen threaten to sue feds over planned Massachusetts fishing closure

NOAA is looking to permanently add a wedge between state and federal waters to an existing closure that stretches roughly 9,000 square miles off the Massachusetts coast, a measure feds have put in place to preserve the North Atlantic right whale. An emergency rule prohibited trap and pot fishery buoy lines on the wedge during the past two years, but the feds are looking to make the zone permanent and have the backing of the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries. The proposed permanent expansion to the Massachusetts Restricted Area has caught lobstermen by surprise. Dustin Delano, chief operating officer of the New England Fishermen’s Stewardship Association, took exception to the “recklessness” of the proposal after an amendment was included in this year’s $1.7 trillion federal spending bill that looked to delay protections for the North Atlantic right whale by six years. >>click to read<< 11L27

Feds institute ’emergency’ lobster closure to protect right whales

The federal government will close an additional 200 square miles off the coast of Massachusetts to lobster and Jonah crab fishing in April to protect endangered right whales. The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is closing the area on an “emergency” basis, without taking public comment, a move that frustrates lobstermen already contending with extensive fishing restrictions. >click to read<

Emergency Closure for Lobster and Jonah CrabTrap/Pot Fishery: Area Between Massachusetts Restricted Area and Massachusetts Restricted Area North for April 2022 – Lobster and Jonah crab trap/pot fishermen fishing in the federal waters between the Massachusetts Restricted Area North and the Massachusetts Restricted Area must remove all trap/pot gear from this area, and may not reset trawls being actively fished, or set new trawls in this area for the period from April 1-30, 2022. >click to read< 12:02

Large Whale Seasonal Trap Gear Closure is Effective February 1 – April 30

This advisory serves as a reminder to recreational and commercial trap fishermen. The annual large whale seasonal trap gear closure is in effect from February 1st through April 30th.  During this period all trap gear must be removed from the . This area encompasses waters of Cape Cod Bay, Stellwagen Bank and the Eastern Cape Cod. A description of the closed area and its coordinates are in the adjacent map and full regulatory text is located at 322 CMR 12.04 and 12.11. This closure was implemented in 2015 under the federal Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan and subsequently codified in state regulations. Its purpose is to reduce the risk of endangered North Atlantic right whales becoming entangled in trap gear buoy lines while migrating through and aggregating in this important seasonal feeding area. For more information regarding the Large Whale Seasonal Trap Gear Closure and the North Atlantic right whale, please visit our website: www.mass.gov/marinefisheries  13:47