Mr. Wise referred the Council to its By-catch Reduction Subcommittee, formed at the November 1998 Council meeting as a result of a request from Assemblyman Thomas DiNapoli that the Council conduct an assessment of by-catch issues in New York’s marine commercial and recreational fisheries. The subcommittee is composed of Mr. Wise and the following councilors: Robert Doxsee, Fred Schwab, Mike McCarron, and Tom Knobel.

Mr. Wise reported that the subcommittee had met and decided to work in concert with a larger group, termed the By-catch Reduction Project Work Group. In addition to members of the subcommittee, participants on the Work Group include Gordon Colvin and John Mason of DEC, Mark Malchoff of the NY Sea Grant Extension Program, Chris Smith and Emerson Hasbrouck of Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Marine Program, and John Turner, staff person for Mr. DiNapoli. The Work Group will compile by-catch information on New York’s commercial and recreational fisheries to determine the nature and extent of by-catch problems. Where by-catch information is inadequate for specific fisheries, recommendations will be made to obtain it. Once adequate information has been compiled and examined, options to deal with by-catch problems will be considered. The Work Group will report its findings and recommendations to the Council. If the Council approves the report, it will be transmitted to the DEC and the State Legislature for translation into regulations or legislative proposals, respectively.

The Work Group held a briefing in mid-January to inform key state legislators on the origins, nature, and purpose of the By-catch Reduction Project. In this way, it is hoped to avoid a premature and piecemeal legislative approach to this issue. Chairman Wise said that he hoped the Legislature would await the recommendations of the Work Group’s report before attempting to deal further with the by-catch issue. Councilor Doxsee cautioned that the results of the By-catch Reduction Project should not be the imposition of restrictions on New York fishermen more onerous than those of neighboring states.