By Amanda Estes

Staff Writer

    Maine lobstermen may soon have to make drastic
changes to their gear if they want to continue working in the state’s
coastal waters. Since 1996, the National Marine Fisheries Service has
been working toward reducing the threat of large whale entanglements
and injuries caused by fishing gear. Later this year, the NMFS is
expected to come out with a regulation to restrict the use of gear in
certain areas and the Gulf of Maine Lobster Foundation (GOMLF) is
preparing to help local lobstermen make the transition.

    Laura Ludwig of GOMLF said NMFS is being sued by the
conservation community to come out with a regulation right away to
provide some protection for endangered whale species, including
humpback, fin, and right whales. The majority of Maine commercial
lobstermen use floating groundlines to connect groups of traps on the
bottom of the ocean.

    The GOMLF’s Bottom Line Project is a voluntary
program in which lobstermen can exchange floating ropes for sink ropes
before the regulation is implemented. Ludwig said GOMLF obtained funds
from Congress and contracted with a Massachusetts company to collect
and recycle up to 500,000 pounds of float rope in the project’s first
phase. Lobstermen will receive vouchers worth $1.40 per pound of float
rope.

    “In general [sink rope] does cost quite a bit more
than float rope, but it really does depend on the brand and size,”
Ludwig said. She said float rope costs between 95 cents and $1.50 per
pound, while sink rope costs between $1.80 and $2 per pound. Ludwig
said the sink ropes would have to be high end to stand up to the rigors
of the industry.

    The first phase of the Bottom Line Project is aimed
at lobstermen who work in Lobster Management Zone G, encompassing
southern Maine and seacoast New Hampshire, or in federal waters. These
areas have experienced Dynamic Area Management (DAM) closures caused by
the presence of three or more right whales. In the case of a DAM
closure, lobstermen must switch to sink lines.

    Ludwig said lobstermen in Zone G were the only
responders in a state-wide survey GOMLF distributed last fall. In a
survey sent out to 6,200 people, GOMLF received 1,100 responses on the
potential impact of a float line ban.

    “The amount it would cost would either put them out
of business or make it very difficult to continue,” said Ludwig of the
lobstermens’ commentary. She said lobstermen also expressed concern
about losing gear as sink ropes could get hung up on rocks and gear
could come loose. “There is a safety concern where the rope could hang
down in such a forcible manner that to try to retrieve it could put the
crew at risk because it could snap.”

    Pat White, a Maine lobstermen and president of
GOMLF’s board of directors, said he currently uses sink lines or low
profile lines instead of float lines.

    “Some of the lines are chafing more than others, but
there are others that have stood up very well,”White said of working
with sink lines off the coast of York. He said he has also shortened
the distance between the traps.

    Perhaps the most common reaction to the potential
ban on float rope is that there are no whales in the area to warrant
the regulation. Ludwig said within a 35 year period there has been
approximately eight right whale sightings within the three mile limit
of state waters, where 80 percent of lobstering takes place.

    Erin Summers a Large Whale Scientist for the Maine
Department of Marine Resources said there are several critical habitats
in New England for right whales in New England, including Bay of Fundy,
Cape Cod, and the Great South Channel, but there are no critical areas
in Maine waters. She said the critical habitats have seasonal gear
restrictions.

    When right whales are spotted in Maine waters, they
are usually past the 12 mile line and en route to one of the critical
habitats, she said. Summers said NMFS usually documents right whales in
Maine waters in the winter months and their presence sparks DAM
closures. The marine patrol monitors the DAM zones and checks to make
sure lobstermen are in compliance. She said Maine has always had a very
high compliance rate.

    “We’re trying to push for certain things to be in
the final rule so the lobster industry has some things to work with,”
Summer said. Even if there is a sink line mandate, she said the hope is
that the rule will leave room for “emerging technologies,” such as more
low profile lines. Research is also being conducted on large whale
foraging practices to determine whether the conditions in Maine are
favorable for the mammals. She said fishermen and marine officers
statewide have also been trained in disentangling whales. There were
several successful disentanglements of Minky whales last summer, she
said.

    Mark Baumgartner, an Associate Scientist in the
Biology Department at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, said
scientists were surprised to learn that right whales frequently dive
down to the bottom of the ocean to feed whether they are in the Bay of
Fundy, the western Gulf of Maine, or off the coast of Portsmouth. He
said the animals need to eat large quantities of food so they spend
most of their time foraging.

    “The big question for Maine is how often do right
whales actually go to Maine waters?” he said. “I don’t think anyone can
tell you how often they go there.” He said there are efforts under way
to tag right whales in Maine waters. The habitat in the Maine coastal
area is rocky compared to the sandy bottom of Cape Cod and the mud
bottom of the Great South Channel, Baumgartner said. “There are more
obstacles in the water column that make floating lines more practical
than sinking line,” he said.

    On the other hand, Baumgartner said floating ropes
are “big traps” for whales. He said fishermen prefer the floating ropes
because they want to keep the ropes off the ground so they are not worn
down, but the risk to whales decreases when the ropes are on the bottom
of the ocean. Many whales have scars from fishing gear and sometimes
the ropes can actually become embedded in their skin and around the
mouth, making it difficult for the whales to feed.

    “It’s really the research community that sees these
animals the most,” he said. “Fishermen don’t often see right whales
[and] the vast majority of fishermen will never see a whale.” The right
whale, however, is so endangered with only about 350 animals in the
entire population, that any mortalities are significant.

    GOMLF will conduct Phase One of the Bottom Line
Project throughout the week of May 21 at the R.C. Moore Transportation
Center located off of Exit 42 in Scarborough. Lobstermen from areas
outside of Zone G must first register with GOMLF.