Description: The CCE research team identified active, licensed New York fishermen from a combination of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) Bureau of Marine Resources’ 2010 permit records and the 2008 –2010 federal and state vessel trip reports (VTR). CCE used this information to identify interview subjects and organized meetings at times and locations most convenient to local fishermen. Meetings were conducted in 2012 at the following ports: Montauk, Shinnecock, Greenport, Point Lookout/Freeport, Captree, Oceanside, and Brooklyn. During these meetings, a total of 90 commercial fishermen and For-Hire boatmen provided spatial and qualitative data, which represented 36% of the combined active fleet operating in New York’s offshore planning area.A total of 15 meetings were conducted with New York fishermen by gear type. At each meeting, CCE provided a brief introduction to New York’s offshore planning efforts and then distributed NOAA nautical charts encompassing the New York offshore planning study area to the fishermen. Using the nautical charts, fishermen delineated all areas where they fish. For each discrete fishing area delineated on the nautical charts, fishermen also provided details about gear type used, seasons during which they fish, and target fish species. The individual identities of the fishermen were kept anonymous to ensure confidentiality of information and to facilitate useful participation.For a more detailed description of the stakeholder process and the data collected, please see CCE’s Commercial Fisherman Ocean Use Mappingreport, which supplemented New York DOS’Offshore Atlantic Ocean Study.
Copyright Text: Cornell Cooperative Extension, New York Department of State, NY fishermen