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Commercial Fisheries News
Volume 35 Number 6
February 2008
Surveys, exchanges, funding all now underway
KENNEBUNK, ME – Lobstermen who received a survey from the Maine Bottom Line Project shouldn’t worry if they missed the Jan. 5 deadline for returning it.
“Basically, we want their survey whenever we can get it,” said Laura Ludwig, bottom line project manager.
The Gulf of Maine Lobster Foundation, which is administering the project, has nearly $2 million to pass on to qualifying lobstermen. The Maine Bottom Line Project is for poly groundlines and tailer warps only, not endlines.
The survey is meant to help project organizers determine how many lobstermen will participate in the voluntary exchange.
“Even if you already filled out a previous survey in early 2007 and/or brought rope in during the May 2007 rope exchange, we need you to fill out this survey again,” Ludwig said in a letter to industry members.
Lobstermen who participate in the upcoming exchanges will receive a voucher worth $1.40 for each pound of poly turned in. The vouchers then can be used toward the purchase of replacement sink rope.
For more information on the exchange, call Ludwig at (207) 263-5300 or e-mail her at <laura@gomlf.org>.
NMFS definition
In early January, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) put out a reminder to fishermen of the definitions of sinking and/or neutrally buoyant line.
The definition for both terms is the same: line that has a specific gravity equal to or greater than 1.030 and, for groundlines only, does not float at any point in the water column.
The agency has created a brochure spelling out all the details, which is available online at <www.nero.noaa.gov/nero/hotnews/whalesfr> under the “Features” section of the page. For more information, call John Higgins at (207) 677-2316 or e-mail him at <John.Higgins@noaa.gov>.
Federal funding
US senators representing New England states are angling for additional federal money to help fixed gear fishermen pay for replacing floating groundlines with sink line.
On Dec. 12, seven senators wrote to Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez urging the Bush administration to request supplemental funding or make funding available from the Commerce Department’s fiscal year 2008 budget for the purchase of sinking line.
“In addition, we request that the administration include at least $14 million in its fiscal year 2009 budget to alleviate these impacts by providing funds to lobstermen to alleviate future costs of these new regulations,” the senators wrote.
According to NMFS, the initial cost to individuals of complying with the sink rope provisions of the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan will be more than $8,000.
But then, because the sink rope is less durable than float rope, fishermen will be expected to pay an average of $3,700 annually for replacement rope and lost gear. Industry associations have argued that the NMFS figures are low and that true costs will be even higher.
“We ask your assistance to ensure that the hard-working small businessmen and women who work in our fisheries, and who have been forced to deal with increasingly strict regulations in recent years, are not held solely responsible for the financial burden of this protection,” the senators said.
Those signing the letter were US Sens. Jack Reed (D-RI), Olympia Snowe (R-ME), Ted Kennedy (D-MA), John Kerry (D-MA), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), John Sununu (R-NH), and Susan Collins (R-ME).
FAME loans
On Jan. 14, the Finance Authority of Maine (FAME) announced that it had approved a program of commercial loans and loan insurance to help Maine lobstermen comply with the new federal requirement to replace floating groundlines.
Under the program, banks providing loans to lobstermen for this purpose will be able to obtain a higher level of commercial pro-rata insurance – 75% vs. 60%.
Additionally, FAME has lowered the interest rate offered through its Economic Recovery Loan Program from prime plus 2% to simply prime. There will be no loan limit as long as fishermen use the loans for line replacement, and the loan term will be set for a maximum of three years.
FAME estimates that the average cost of line replacement to each lobsterman will be $15,000.
Two of the lending entities partnering with FAME on these programs are Machias Savings Bank and Farm Credit of Maine.
For more information, visit the FAME web site at <www.famemaine.com> or call (207) 623-3263.
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