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Commercial Fisheries News
Volume 35 Number 6
February 2008
Gear summit raises sink rope supply questions
BOSTON, MA – There were a number of developments in December and January concerning the looming deadline for mandatory use of sinking groundlines outside of exemption zones in the lobster, gillnet, and pot fisheries.
For the most part, managers, politicians, and many fishermen appeared to be resigned to accepting the Oct. 5, 2008 implementation date imposed by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) in its amended Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan (ALWTRP). And several initiatives were underway to help fishermen pay for rope replacement.
However, serious questions were raised about the sink rope requirement during a Jan. 11 Lobster Gear Summit held in Boston. The summit, which was organized by the Atlantic Offshore Lobstermen’s Association (AOLA) and the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), drew several dozen people, including fishermen, academics, state and federal government representatives, and rope manufacturers.
The goal of the summit was not to debate the new gear rule but to gather information on rope manufacturing capacity, timing, cost, and recycling options, according to organizers.
As lobster industry representatives began to describe the vast amount of sinking rope they will need to comply with the new rules, rope company representatives stated outright that they would need upfront money to meet the demand.
How much rope?
According to AOLA Executive Director Bonnie Spinazzola, offshore fishermen alone would require nearly 3 million pounds of sink rope. And that takes into account those who work in the seasonal area management or SAM zones who have already switched to sinking groundline to comply with federal regulations.
Pat White, former executive director of the Maine Lobstermen’s Association, who now sits on the board of directors of the Gulf of Maine Lobster Foundation, challenged NMFS’s contention that the exemption zone frees 71% of Maine lobstermen from the sink rope requirement.
“The 71% is not accurate because the lobstermen who fish partially over the line are not going to split up their gear,” he said.
Other summit participants pointed out that the Oct. 5 deadline was misleading because many lobstermen work on their gear in the winter and so will need access to sink rope over the next few months if they’re going to re-rope their trawls for the upcoming fishing year.
Manufacturing hurdles
Robert Lucey, president of Orion Ropeworks in Winslow, ME, and Mike Anacko of Anacko Cordage in Narragansett, RI indicated there could be delays in getting that kind of quantity into the market.
“We have the capacity to double what we’re doing right now. We have the equipment,” Lucey said. “The problem is getting the people. And somebody needs (to provide) the cash. We’ve grown our business as fast as we can. All our cash is used. The big (hurdle) is cash flow.”
Anacko added that there is a worldwide shortage of polyester right now that is complicated by the falling value of the US dollar.
“I have to lay out money before I can get material and that takes two months,” he said. “Deliver a product before we get paid? That would be tough for us.”
Jeff Pike of the Washington, DC-based law firm Sher & Blackwell LLP moderated the summit.
Summing up the supply issue, he said, “The supply chain issue is big. We’re talking about $20-$30 million worth of rope. The lobsterman has to buy it. He’s not going to give you the money until he gets it. You’re not going to manufacture the rope without the money. How does this get started?”
Lucey suggested that money now being given to lobstermen through vouchers might be put to better use by manufacturers.
“If that money is turned to rope, we could manufacture domestically to meet the deadline,” he said. “I don’t believe there’s the cash in the industry to finance this.”
What to buy?
Lobsterman Grant Moore confirmed earlier remarks by lobsterman David Spencer that offshore boats are re-roping at sea.
“One trawl a trip, we’re in the process of trying to swap out rope,” Moore said. “People who purchased groundline in the past have been inventorying line in anticipation of this rule. But a lot of people don’t know what to buy.”
Outer Cape Cod fisherman Mark Leach agreed.
“The biggest problem is we didn’t know what to buy. I have barrels of useless line in my field, worn out junk. Everyone I know on the outer Cape is back to square one. There was not enough trial and error. Personally, I’m going to go with a braided line.”
Added Spencer, “This is a significant financial outlay – around $50,000. We’re doing this on a leap of faith. If you make the wrong decision, you’ll have to make that outlay again.”
Compliance questions
And then there was the question of exactly what kind of rope will both comply with the definition of sink rope established by NMFS and stand up to the rigors of fishing.
Extensive testing by state fisheries agencies and industry groups has yet to identify a sink rope that even comes close to float rope in terms of durability.
Compounding that problem was the question of how it will be determined that a fisherman is actually complying with the new rule.
Pike asked if NMFS was able to certify compliant rope.
Diane Borggaard of NMFS answered, “It’s up to fishermen to get assurance that rope meets the standard.” She referred fishermen to a stand-alone document on the ALWTRP web site that spells out a definition of sinking line as having a specific gravity of 1.03 or greater.
But Pike persisted.
“If there’s an enforcement action and a fisherman said he was told his line met the standard and it didn’t, would the fisherman be at fault?” he asked.
Borggaard responded that she wasn’t in a position to comment on enforcement actions.
Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries Deputy Director Dan McKiernan questioned NMFS’s use of 1.03 specific gravity as a standard.
“Real sink line is a lot heavier than what we’re talking about here,” he said.
Borggaard responded that “sink and neutral” buoyant line “are the same – 1.03. We leave the onus on others but we try to give people the tools for determining compliance.”
Said White, “How NMFS will enforce this is a very important part of this discussion. It needs to be addressed.”
Whale advocate Max Strahan attended the meeting but did not speak until the end when he suggested that all the talk about sinking groundlines was missing the point.
“The vertical buoy line entanglements far exceed entanglements of groundlines,” he said. “Why is so much burden and cost being imposed when the solution is that you’re going to have to deal with vertical lines?”
The Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Team is expected to take up the challenge of finding ways to reduce vertical lines this year.
Lorelei Stevens
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