COMMERCE
Subscriber Services
Classified Ads
Subscribe
Advertise
NEWS
This Month
Editorial
Letters
F/V Safety
Past Issues
ABOUT US
Contact Us
Latest Issue
Subscribe
History
MORE CONTENT
CFN Archives
Links
Each month exclusively in the PRINT edition of CFN
Along the Coast
Ask the Lobster Doc
Bearin’s
Classifieds
Coming Events
Editorial
Enforcement Report
FISH SAFE
Fleet Additions
Letters
Lobster Market Report
New Boats
News Catch
Quahog Market Report
|
Commercial Fisheries News
Volume 35 Number 5
January 2008
Lobster council hears sink rope, bait reports
AUGUSTA, ME – The Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR) Lobster Advisory Council met on Nov. 28 to discuss a full agenda.
Patricia Pinto, president of Saltwater Marketing LLC, presented information to the council describing “Clawdia’s Secret,” a newly developed lobster bait booster/extender.
Pinto reported that, for over four years, Saltwater Marketing, along with Blue Seal Feeds, has worked in conjunction with the Lobster Institute and Maine and Canadian lobstermen to test a series of experimental lobster bait products.
The product testing was a very long process because the companies wanted to find a product that would do three things, Pinto explained.
“First, we wanted a product that would attract lobsters. Second, we wanted a product that was durable and would hold together for a long time. And, lastly, we wanted a product that was absolutely environmentally safe and would be safe for lobsters to eat,” she said.
Saltwater Marketing and Blue Seal Feeds launched Clawdia’s Secret into the marketplace in October. The product is made from fish protein, marine plant products, and minerals.
According to the companies, lobstermen should use one piece in a bait bag along with some fresh fish. The product has consistently tested well and lasted up to three hauls, Pinto said.
She defined “fishing well” as catching an equal amount or more lobsters per trap as other traps set in the same location for the same amount of time.
Blue Seal Feeds, a New England company with over 140 years of animal feed manufacturing experience, is producing the product.
Whale rule update
DMR Commissioner George Lapointe reported that the DMR has met with the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to discuss the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan (ALWTRP) and the possibility of DMR presenting NMFS with alternatives to requiring lobstermen working outside of the exemption area to using sinking groundlines.
In an e-mail and follow-up interview, DMR’s Erin Summers explained that the department has been testing low-profile ropes as an alternative to sink lines for the past three years.
Low-profile rope has a lower density than the sink rope currently required by NMFS. Rope with less density floats higher in the water column and eliminates the likelihood of the rope becoming hung down on the bottom. DMR has tested at least seven ropes of different densities to date.
This past year, DMR recruited lobstermen to fish three of these low-profile ropes through the fishing season to collect data on how the rope performed.
These low-profile products consisted of three different specific gravities. All were lighter than sinking line but were expected to not float as high as standard float rope.
According to Summers, the rope tested by DMR was produced by Polysteel Atlantic and made with an “inside-out” construction, meaning the more abrasion-resistant polysteel fibers were on the outside, hiding the polyester on the inside.
In October and November, the DMR placed data loggers on these ropes in six areas along the coast – Boothbay Harbor, Vinalhaven, Friendship, Mount Desert Island, Jonesport, and Cutler. The goal was to determine how these ropes behaved under various fishing conditions. The data loggers measured the average height off the bottom of the ropes when fished. Additional tests were done, including looking at the effects of different lengths of groundline and diameters of rope on the average arc height of certain ropes.
Additionally, 60 coils were handed out to various fishermen to be fished exactly as standard rope. The fishermen kept data log sheets, recording their observations of the low-profile ropes’ fishing characteristics. Now, samples of each of these ropes are being collected for strength testing to determine how much wear and degradation has occurred through one fishing season.
Lapointe told the council that the data gathered from the low-profile rope testing will be drafted into a report and presented to the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Team early in 2008. The use of low-profile lines in place of sink rope in specific areas will be discussed at that meeting.
Promotion council
Dane Somers introduced himself to the Lobster Advisory Council as the new director of the Maine Lobster Promotion Council (MLPC), a post he assumed in August.
After saying that he was looking forward to both continuing and expanding MLPC’s promotional work, Somers updated the council on the MLPC’s current activities. He commented that MLPC is in the process of updating its website, making it a better information resource for the industry. The promotion council also is upgrading its dealers and buyers list to optimize communication between dealers and buyers in the marketplace.
Pointing out that the MLCP’s outreach activities are often limited due to funding constraints, Somers commented that MLPC could accomplish much more for the lobster industry with federal funding.
“The promotion council is looking at other organizations similar to our own that may have accessed additional funds around educational outreach,” he said in a follow up conversation. “We anticipate following their model to support the industry.”
Somers was in New York City in early December promoting Maine lobster to the Culinary Institute of America.
“It is important that people learn and become impassioned about Maine lobster,” he said. “This is the best-managed, most environmentally friendly fishing industry in the world. Maine fisherman work unbelievable hard to hand select the best lobster for the marketplace.”
Somers encouraged lobstermen to visit MLPC’s website at <www.lobsterfrommaine.com> to see the current outreach information the MLPC offers to consumers, chefs, and wholesalers.
Seed lobsters, meetings
Dana Rice opened the discussion regarding proposals to adjust the 2,000-pound limit on female/seed lobster purchases. Rice said he will be meeting with DMR staff to discuss any adjustments.
Any modifications to the current limit were tabled until DMR staff meets with dealer representatives to discuss if any changes are necessary. Seed lobster purchases are paid for from the Lobster Fund, which is financed primarily by state lobster harvester license fees.
The council discussed future times for Lobster Advisory Council meetings. Several fishermen travel great distances to attend the meetings and said that adjusting the time would be helpful to them.
Also, the DMR Advisory Council typical meets on the same day as the Lobster Advisory Council, which can lead to conflicts. After some discussion, the council agreed to set its meeting time at 4 pm for the winter months.
Shrimp, herring
Lapointe informed the council that the 2007-2008 shrimp season will be 152 days long, which is a one-day increase from last year’s season. The season opened on Dec. 1, 2007 and will close on April 30, 2008.
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s (ASMFC) Northern Shrimp Section approved the season based on recommendations of the Northern Shrimp Technical Committee and Advisory Panel (see CFN December 2007).
In a press release, section Chair Ritchie White from New Hampshire said that “efforts to reduce fishing mortality in the early 2000s continue to provide an above average abundance of shrimp for the fishery. By approving another five-month fishing season, we are able to maintain improved harvesting and marketing opportunities.”
Lapointe also reported that the total allowable catch (TAC) next year for herring in Area 1A will be 45,000 metric tons (mt). That represents a 5,000-mt decrease from the 2007 TAC of 50,000 mt.
Back to story list
|
|
Tell us what you think.
