Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) released the following statement regarding the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) decision to increase the butterfish catch limit by 17% to nearly four million pounds in 2011.
“This pre-emptive action by NOAA is especially important in Rhode Island where the squid fishery is such an economically vital component of our commercial fishing industry,” said Whitehouse, a member of the Environment and Public Works Committee. “Since butterfish are often bycatch in the squid fishery, this decision will keep those fishermen on the water longer and lessen the risk they will have to suffer a fishery closure this year.”
Butterfish are often caught accidently by fisherman in the Loligo squid fishery, based off of New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Connecticut during the first part of the fishing year. NOAA’s increase in the butterfish catch limit will help prevent closing the fishery prematurely due to the unintended catching of the butterfish.
In 2009, Loligo landings in Rhode Island were worth more than $10 million dollars.
More information about the increase in the butterfish catch limit can be found here: http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2011/20110314_butterfish.html
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