June 4, 2007

New England fishermen plans codfish nursery

A group of Island fishermen in New England are moving to open and operate a cod nursery on the Vineyard after witnessing severe declines in cod population.

The saltwater fish hatchery, where cod and other saltwater fish are being spawned and raised, is a small step to begin what is being called the Martha's Vineyard Cod Fish Restoration Project.

Tom Osmers, the West Tisbury shellfish constable, and his colleagues met and proposed his ideas to Woods Hole fishery scientists.

With so many closures to fishermen over the years, Osmers said they could no longer wait for the federal government to do something about the declining populations.

Before stepping off into ocean aquaculture, the government and the population should restore its own historical fishery, he said.

Osmers expects fishermen raising juvenile cod and harvesting them in Island waters. The Vineyard waters once were filled with cod from fall to spring and Osmers believes the fish used these waters to spawn and feed.

At a nearby hatchery, cods are spawned and reared up to three inches in size and then sold to other countries, like Canada, to be raised to market size. Doty said the Island fishermen want to do the same.

The fishermen plan to buy 10,000 cod at three inches in size in October, cage them in the open waters, and nurse them from October to April when they are 8 to 9 inches in size. The fish would then be tagged and released into the wild.