Federal Regulators Seek Fishermen’s Ideas on Gear and Fishing Techniques
Meetings to discuss lobster trap endlines and entanglements of North Atlantic right whales were held by NOAA in New England in August. Four of the meeting were held in Maine. Attendance at the meetings varied by fishermen, ENGOs & general public.
Numerous fishermen spoke about financial and safety threats that they said NOAA’s proposed endline reductions had for their livelihoods, families and communities.
One intent for the meetings, said Colleen Coogan, with the Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office, was to hear specifics from lobster fishermen about what they can and cannot do regarding their gear and fishing practices to help reduce gear entanglements with whales. The Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Team (TRT), she said, would then analyze the information in arriving at a solution for reaching the Marine Mammal Protection Act mandated reduction in the number of right whale mortalities.
Coogan said that increased levels of trip reporting by Maine fishing vessels would provide more confidence about how many endlines are in the water, the configuration of the endlines, and where they are, and would help in monitoring the effectiveness of potential gear modifications.
“It is important for fishermen to present ideas about what they can do, so that the TRT can choose the best way to reduce impacts to whales and economic harm to fishermen,” she said.
For example, she said, a New Hampshire fishermen suggested that, rather than using newly engineered rope, a 3/8" rope could have a 5/16" section of rope woven into it, which would reduce the breaking strength to 1,700 lbs. Suggested modifications would be tested. It would need to be proven that the rope breaks as required and that modified rope would be identifiable by enforcement.
Operational costs and the different ways fishermen fish are among the factors that will be analyzed, she added.
The impact of ship strikes on right whale deaths was also brought up.
Federal regulators are requesting ideas for gear changes and fishing practices that could reduce the threat to whales. Comments should be sent in writing by September 16. Instructions for how, when and where to send written comments are below. Comment specifics are at the Federal Register live link: fishermensvoice.com
To submit comments
Electronic Submission: Submit all electronic public comments by sending an email to nmfs.gar.ALWTRT2019@noaa.gov using the subject line “Comments on Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan Scoping.”
Mail: Submit written comments to Michael Pentony, Regional Administrator, National Marine Fisheries Service, 55 Great Republic Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930-2276. Mark the outside of the envelope: “Comments on Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan Scoping.”
Federal Register Notice comment info live link, scroll down to Public Comment.