Stellwagen Bank Final EIS and Management Plan 



Page 51 



was the opening of the market for bluefin tuna in 

 Japan. Before 1976, tuna was not a highly 

 profitable fishery. However, the foreign demand for 

 tuna by the late 1970's resulted in huge increases in 

 prices paid for this species; and equal increases 

 occurred in the number of vessels fishing for tuna 

 on Stellwagen Bank. By 1976, 200 or more vessels 

 were operating on the northwest and southwest 

 corners of the Bank, utilizing a variety of gears 

 (Jarvis, 1990). 



Today, targeted sportfishing species, jmd their 

 seasons include tuna (June to early November); all 

 varieties of ground fish (March through June); and 

 "sport" and bait fish (late May to September) 

 (Jarvis, 1990). Commercial sportfishing vessels 

 operate virtually year-round (except for the period 

 January through February), and are always 

 dependent on weather conditions. 



In 1987, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts 

 issued 21,475 recreational permits for shellfish; and 

 12,080 for lobster (Massachusetts Bays Program, 

 1988). A total of over 4,000 NMFS permits for tuna 

 fishing had been issued by 1989 (Jarvis, 1990). 



Although figures are not currently available 

 indicating the economic value of commercial 

 sportfishing operations specific to Stellwagen Bank, 

 the level of fishing effort is indicative that the value 

 of this activity to the regional economy is significant. 

 On a statewide basis, the value of 195,000 charter 

 boat trips in 1987 (out of 90 ports throughout the 

 state), was valued at $9.5 miUion (Massachusetts 

 Bays Program, 1988). For the same year, 1.6 

 million private rental boat trips were made 

 throughout the state, valued at $167 miUion. 



Licensing and operation of commercial 

 sportfishing vessels, like commercial fishing vessels, 

 are regulated by existing state and Federal 

 authorities. Current guidelines relating to vessel 

 operation in the vicinity of marine mammals apply 

 to all fishing vessels, in addition to commercial 

 whalewatch vessels and private vessels. 



3. Recreational Boating /Tourism 



Recreational and tourism activities directly 

 involving waters around Stellwagen Bank include 



privately-owned boats engaged primarily in fishing 

 or whalewatching/birdwatching activities. While 

 participation in these activities is high, there are no 

 precisely comprehensive figures indicating levels of 

 participation and revenues generated from these 

 activities. However, some discussion of statewide 

 data provides a general, if unspecified, picture of 

 the extent of recreational activities in the Stellwagen 

 Bank area. During 1985, tourists visiting Barnstable 

 County (Cape Cod) spent over $1.1 billion, 

 representing about 17.5% of all tourist expenditures 

 in Massachusetts for that year. (Greenbaum and 

 O'Donnell, 1987). 



With regard to recreational fishing, a total of 

 790,000 saltwater anglers fished during 596,644 

 angler days in Massachusetts during 1987, spending 

 approximately $803 million in related sales. (Hart, 

 1989; NMFS, 1988b). These figures include shore 

 fishing (i.e., from beaches, banks, jetties, piers, 

 docks, and bridges), and boat fishing (i.e., from 

 private rental, charter, or party boats). Cape Cod 

 generally is a primary tourist area during summer 

 months, and many of its visitors, as well as 

 residents, participate in both shore-based and boat- 

 based recreational fishing. 



Most recreational fishing within the North 

 Atlantic (New England) cu-ea occurs in inland 

 waters (e.g., sounds, inlets, tidal portions of rivers, 

 bays, estuaries, and other areas of salt of brackish 

 water), or within the territorial limit (i.e., within 

 three miles of shore). Throughout the North 

 Atlantic area generally, the majority of recreational 

 fishing, regardless of the area fished, is conducted 

 from private or rental boats. (Essig, et al., 1991). 



In waters beyond the three-mile Umit, which 

 would include Stellwagen Bank, the total number of 

 fish caught by the recreational fishery varies 

 considerably from year to year, although generally 

 the majority caught from year to year are from the 

 same several species groups. 



Table 6: Total Number of Fish Caught in North 

 Atlantic Recreational Fishery Beyond Three-Mile 

 Jurisdiction (In Thousands): 1987-1989 



1987 



1988 



1989 



9,161 



7,430 



3,397 



