Board considers coupons/tags or pay for fishermen who move seed; discusses extending season or raising limits
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Summary
The Harbor & Shellfish Advisory Board discussed a coupon/tag proposal to compensate fishermen who move scallop seed and weighed municipal payment versus in-kind compensation; staff said town payments involve tax and vendor paperwork, so tags or extra boxes may be simpler.
Board members and staff discussed several linked proposals to compensate fishermen who help move scallop seed and to prepare for a possible extension of the commercial scallop season.
A fisherman and board member outlined a coupon proposal: one coupon per hour worked, at $100 per hour as a suggested rate, redeemable for an extra box of scallops; coupons would resemble lobster tags, be attached to boxes, be one-time use and become invalid if removed. The proposer said tags would be valid for one year and that failure to follow tag rules would be a regulatory violation.
Jeff Carlson said monetary compensation from the town is possible but administratively cumbersome because it requires identifying a funding source and the town's finance process can require tax reporting and vendor paperwork. He said alternatives—extra boxes or tagged boxes—may avoid town payment processes but still require a tracking procedure. "Financial compensation to the town ... is probably not a desirable result just because I know our financial processes and that's gonna involve people like submitting themselves to reimbursement and probably having to do tax forms and getting a 1099 from the town," Jeff said.
Board members and fishermen recommended that JC (the shellfish warden) or department staff keep tags, log usage and cut tags when boxes are landed to prevent reuse. Staff said they will continue to work on policy language and involve JC and the finance director in designing an implementable process.
On season length and bag limits, the board discussed requesting a state extension of the commercial scallop season in case cold weather or lost fishing days limit effort; several members also said the board can raise the local box limit for the season without state approval and discussed temporarily raising limits to 6, 7 or even up to the state limit of 10 boxes depending on market demand and resource condition. Staff advised that if the town seeks a state extension, it is best to engage the state early and that any temporary box increase for the current season can be handled locally.
Why it matters: compensating fishermen for seed-moving addresses fairness for those who miss paid fishing days; decisions about season extensions and bag limits affect fishery yield, markets and resource protection.
Ending: Jeff and staff will continue to work with fishermen, JC and finance staff to draft implementable compensation language and tag procedures; the board will keep extension and limit options on future agendas for decision.
