Free Bus to Council Meeting June 20th

We've all heard people say: "There's plenty of other fish in the sea", but while it may apply to the dating pool, we've found that it doesn't tend to apply to actual fish. Take river herring, the fish whose lifestyle carries them between our rivers and the ocean each year. Less than one percent of newly hatched river herring actually make it to the ocean and once there, the life doesn't get much easier. A fish might fall prey to bass, bluefish, shore birds, or the mouths of the herring industry's midwater trawl nets.

River herring are among the species often taken as bycatch in the sea herring fishery and need to be protected. That protection comes now, in the form of Amendment 5 to the Atlantic Herring Fishery Management Plan. Amendment 5 will hold the herring industry accountable for the fish they are catching along with their target species, such as river herring and groundfish, and includes measures for 100% observer coverage and river herring hotspot closures.

Amendment 5 is being voted on by the New England Fishery Management Council on June 20th at the Holiday Inn by the Bay in Portland, Maine, and the river herring need your support. The CHOIR Coalition is sponsoring a FREE charter bus to anyone who would like to attend the meeting on Wednesday and show their support (meals will be provided).

There are three locations to catch the bus:

• Cape Cod Commercial Hook Fishermen's Association office at 1566 Main St. in Chatham at 5 AM

• Burger King Park and Ride at exit 6 on Iyannough Rd at 5:30 AM

• Viking Club at 410 Quincy Ave. in Braintree at 6:30 AM

The bus will depart Portland at 5 PM. If interested, RSVP to reserve your seat by calling Claire at the CCCHFA at (508) 945-2432 x108 as soon as possible.

We hope to see you there!

-Claire Fitz-Gerald

Policy Coordinator, CCCHFA