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The Gulf of Maine Lobster Foundation will soon begin a pilot project to retrieve and dispose of derelict lobster gear. The foundation received $200,000 through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s Gulf of Maine Environmental Compliance and Protection Fund for the project. “It’s a very sensitive issue and we want to do it carefully,” Laura Ludwig, the foundation’s director for the project, told the Zone B Lobster Council at their Jan. 14 meeting. The project will be conducted with the Department of Marine Resources’ lobster biologist, Carl Wilson, who will provide field work and technical assistance. The project will take place over the course of two years in seven ports, one in each zone. Ludwig said that fishermen interested in participating may contact her at 263-5300 or Wilson at 633-9538. Participants will not receive a wage, but will receive a boat fuel stipend of $500 per day. The targeted retrieval goal is 100 traps per boat. Gear will be returned to lobstermen or recycled. Recovery will occur in state waters during the late winter/early spring months of 2010 and 2011, when fishing effort is at its lowest level. The goal, Ludwig said, is to assess the presence of ghost gear, record data about its condition and age, and work with lobstering communities to help establish systems for future gear disposal options. At the same time, Wilson will be looking at the functionality of biopanels and escape vents on the derelict traps, she said. And Ludwig will look at the question of whether the new federal requirement for sinking groundline results in an increase in the amount of ghost gear. Interested fishermen will fill out an interview form, and 10 vessels will be selected from each zone. Zones A-C will participate the first winter, with the project likely beginning this March, she said. Zones D-G will participate next winter. Gear will be grappled or dragged up, brought to a centralized collection site, and sorted. Salvageable gear will be returned to its owner. The rest will be sorted into metal scrap to be sold; or “other,” to go to a waste-to-energy plant. |
