Typical Lobster Fishing Gear
Gulf of Maine Lobster Foundation will conduct several voluntary groundline rope exchanges in 2008 as part of Phase II of the Bottom Line Project, helping lobster men comply with new federal whale regulations that require them to use sinking ground lines in some areas of the coast. The foundation, a small, Maine-based nonprofit organization that involves lobster men and scientists in collaborative research and outreach projects, was awarded more than $2 million in federal funds to help lobster men defray the costs of converting their floating ground lines (the line between traps) to sinking line. The Final Whale Rule, which outlines exact requirements regarding gear modifications and exempted areas, was released by the National Marine Fisheries Service in October 2007. Among the regulations is the requirement that floating ground lines be replaced by sinking line outside the specified exemption zone by Oct. 1, 2008. Polypropylene-based rope used in the commercial lobster industry, often called float rope or poly, has been implicated in the entanglement of large whales in the Gulf of Maine — humpbacks, fin backs, right whales, and minkes. According to federal fisheries managers, replacing floating groundlines with sink rope may diminish the threat of entanglement. However, sink rope is heavier and more expensive than the float rope preferred by many lobster men, and it may not last as long as float rope in conditions typically found in Maine lobstering, such as rough and rocky ocean floor and strong currents. The Phase II rope exchanges will begin no later than March 2008 and will be conducted in at least three different regions of the coast. A survey has been mailed to all Maine commercial lobster men that will help Lobster Foundation determine the level of participation from those who want to take advantage of the economic assistance. All lobster men are eligible to bring in their floating ground lines if any of their gear is fished outside the exempted area and if they preregister. This program is for the exchange of ground lines only. Upon dropping off used poly- ground lines at a collection site, lobster men will receive a voucher worth $1.40 per pound of poly to be used toward the purchase of sinking rope at participating rope vendors.