The Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) has scheduled two scoping meetings, one of which will be held on the Vineyard, to discuss whelk fishery management issues.
A meeting is scheduled for Bourne on Sept.12, and another is scheduled for 4 to 6pm, Wednesday, Sept. 14, at the Katharine Cornell Theater in Vineyard Haven.
All commercial fishermen who harvest whelk are invited to attend this public scoping meeting, DMF said: “The meeting will focus on the condition of the whelk resource, including the need for improved conservation measures, as well as compliance issues with many aspects of the state’s fisheries management program. These include recent size at maturity studies, trends in landings, minimum size compliance, alternative gauging techniques, trap tag replacement issues, and summertime sea turtle entanglements in fixed gear endlines.”
DMF said it wants to hear from fishermen before developing specific proposals that will be presented at a public hearing during the winter of 2017, with the goal of implementing new management measures before the April 2017 opening of the season.
Whelk, often referred to as conch, is a multimillion-dollar fishery and remains the most reliable and most lucrative catch for Martha’s Vineyard fishermen. Virtually all of the Vineyard whelk is exported. It may end up in Italy as scungilli, or in France as bulot, but most likely, it will end up in Asia, where whelk is considered a delicacy and can easily fetch over $30 a pound. Overfishing has been a concern as catch totals have continued to drop.
