(Bar Harbor Times)
Fishermen study whale entanglements through reverse engineering
By Laurie Schreiber | Feb 17, 2012 Share
Courtesy of: Maine Lobstermen's Association
Seen here is a depiction of the configuration of inshore lobster gear in Zone B. The image is included in a new report called "Lobster Pot Gear Configurations in the Gulf of Maine," which is intended to help evaluate the impacts of potential regulatory changes involving lobster gear.
BAR HARBOR — The Maine Lobstermen's Association has scheduled a series of meetings — one in each of the state's seven lobster zones — to discuss current research on interactions between lobster gear and endangered whales.
The meetings will include an overview on reverse engineering techniques, scar data and experimental rope research that has been conducted by the Consortium for Wildlife Bycatch Reduction, in conjunction with the MLA. In addition, the MLA — in collaboration with Woods Hole (Mass.) Oceanographic Institute — is seeking feedback on a new computer modeling tool designed to forecast the risk of Maine lobster gear entangling right whales.
Locally, the meeting will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 28 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Bar Harbor Town Office auditorium. (For more information, contact Heather Tetreault at 659-3443).
The topic will also be taken up at the upcoming Maine Fishermen's Forum during a workshop titled "How do Whales get Entangled in Fishing Gear? Using Reverse Engineering to Understand Whale Entanglements," scheduled for Thursday, March 1, from 1 to 4:30 p.m. at the Samoset Resort in Rockport.
According to the MLA newsletter, the workshop will present an overview of reverse engineering, background information on whales and an in-depth review of several individual whale entanglement cases. It will also provide participants with an opportunity to conduct their own reverse engineering exercise.
The sessions follow up on the recent publication of a new report, "Lobster Pot Gear Configurations in the Gulf of Maine." The 36-page report was published by the MLA, the New England Aquarium and the Consortium for Wildlife Bycatch Reduction, and provides an examination of the range of fixed-gear lobster fishing methods in the Gulf of Maine.
The Consortium for Wildlife Bycatch Reduction consists of the Blue Water Fishermen's Association, Duke University, the MLA, the New England Aquarium and the University of New Hampshire. Administered out of the New England Aquarium, the Consortium "supports collaborative research between science and the fishing industry to identify practical bycatch reduction solutions for endangered species," according to the report.
Since 1997, the report said, lobstermen have been required by the federal Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan to implement measures to reduce the risk of entanglements. Some measures included "keeping lines as knotless as possible, not fishing floating line at the surface, hauling gear a minimum of every 30 days, and adding surface system weak links and vertical line gear marking."
In 2009, lobstermen were required by law to shift from floating to sinking groundlines – the ropes that connect lobster traps deployed at the sea bottom – along the Atlantic coast, with the intention of reducing the amount of rope in the water column and thus minimize the risk of whales becoming entangled in groundline.
The National Marine Fisheries Service is currently working on the development of a rule to reduce the risk of vertical lobster trap lines – the ropes that extend from the ocean surface to the trap – to endangered whales.
In 2011, the NMFS held 15 meetings along the East Coast as part of its process in developing conservation measures to reduce the vertical-line risk to large whales in fixed-gear fisheries from Maine to Florida. The NMFS has said it will publish a final rule to address vertical line entanglement by 2014.
Following up on those meeting, the NMFS' Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Team met for five days earlier this year in Providence, R.I., to discuss the development of vertical-line risk reduction measures.
In response, the report said, the MLA and the Consortium "are working collaboratively to identify innovative fishing gear and methods that are practical for fishermen but that reduce the frequency and severity of large whale entanglements from vertical lines."
According to the report, the goal now is to fill in information gaps about the dynamics of whale entanglements, so that gear can be modified accordingly. From February 2010 to June 2011, according to the report, the MLA conducted 35 meetings with fishermen in Maine. Regional meetings were also held in Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts.
"The MLA asked lobstermen to describe how they rig and deployed their gear, and talk generally about how, where and when they fish as a community," the report said. "Lobstermen indicated on NOAA [National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration] maritime area charts where specific gear configurations are fished by their community, and during which particular months."
Fishermen also provided rough sketches depicting their individual methods of rigging lobster gear.
Gear configurations along the coast share many commonalities, the report said. But lobster fishing practices and gear configurations "vary according to different local environmental conditions and traditional practices. These differences are important for managers to keep in mind because they often have evolved as a means to safely fish under specific local situations."
Among the factors at play, according to the report, are fishing season, bottom type, distance from shore, vessel size and sophistication of equipment. The report does not draw any particular conclusions in relation to risk reduction. Instead, it is intended to be "a tool for further engaging lobstermen in constructive dialogue about the kinds of gear and fishing methods that may pose the lowest risk to whales from rope entanglements," according to the report.
An update on the whale rule is on the agenda of the MLA's annual meeting — to be held on Friday, March 2 from 9 to 10:15 a.m. at the Samoset Resort in Rockport as part of the Maine Fishermen's Forum. Also on the agenda is an overview of federal safety regulations from the U.S. Coast Guard, various workshops and annual elections, among other events.
0 comments:
Post a Comment