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Urchin Season On Short But Even Keel
For fishermen in both zones, there appears to be enough urchins out there and prices are good enough to warrant taking advantage of the days available. “It’s worth it still to go out,” said Department of Marine resources biologist Margaret Hunter. “There are still urchins in certain areas. And the price hasn’t been too bad.” DMR port sampler Kerry Lyons said the status of urchin fishing varies throughout the state. In general, Lyons said, Zone 2 is seeing quite a bit of activity, but more at the eastern end of Washington County, which itself is something of a shift. In the past, harvesters would have started at the western end of the zone and moved east. This year, they started to the east, and some even went straight to Lubec. The mid-coast region, including Mount Desert Island, is seeing less activity this year, said Lyons. Harvesting around MDI tends to concentrate in Frenchman Bay. “Individual catches vary, depending on things like the weather and if they find a spot that’s populated,” Lyons said. In general, harvesters are taking from six to 12 totes or more. This is the first year Zone 1 had the option to choose an early or late season. A couple of dozen harvesters chose September, and the majority are expected to be out in December. The difference, said Lyons, is that, in the past, a diver could reap a day’s bounty in the same general area, whereas now, he’ll have to look for aggregates in different areas. “Overall, individual catches are pretty good,” Lyons said. “They’re all making their day’s pay. But they may have had to go to five different areas to do so.” Zone 2’s early season for divers opened on Sept. 26 and goes to Dec. 28, and for draggers from Oct. 3-Jan. 11. The Zone 2 late season for both divers and draggers runs from Dec. 19-March 28. Zone 1’s early season ran from Sept. 19-30, when participation was very light, with only about a dozen boats on the water. The late season will go from Dec. 12-23, when twice that number is expected to be out. The Sea Urchin Zone Council is meeting only every few months, and at their latest meeting this past November, only four members showed up, short of a quorum. The main topic on the agenda was the 2005 survey, conducted from May through July by one industry and one Department of Marine Resources diver. This year’s survey showed a slight decrease in abundance in the Cobscook Bay area, and slight improvement to the west, from Roque Island to West Quoddy Head. Even Zone 1 has seen a slight increase in the Rockland/Friendship area. The survey, instituted in 2001, divides the coast into nine regions. More than a dozen dives are made per survey zone. Nothing definitive can be said yet about any small decreases or increases, said DMR scientist Robert Russell. The agency is looking for long-term trends. Still, he said, there is optimism that effort cutbacks are having good effect. The region farthest to the west of Casco Bay, he added, is not seeing any signs of recovery. Despite survey results in Cobscook Bay, harvesters are pulling out pretty good volume there, said Lyons. “The catches in Cobscook Bay have been good this season,” she said. Do urchins show any sign of a complete recovery? “It doesn’t look that promising,” said Lyons. “We hear a lot of anecdotal information. Part of Zone 2 is quite abundant, but overall indications, especially in Zone 1, are showing there’s not a recovery. There’s virtually no fishing in Casco Bay south, and there hasn’t been for awhile.” |
