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Commercial Fisheries News
Volume 34 Number 7
March 2007
Editorial
New forum aims to help find rope that works
When it comes to making tough choices, the best source of advice is usually someone who’s been there. That’s the idea behind a new Internet forum CFN is launching early in March to encourage lobstermen to talk among themselves about rope.
Since the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) implemented the dynamic area management (DAM) and seasonal area management programs in 2002, the agency has taken dozens of DAM actions affecting fishermen from Maine to Southern New England and from the Hague Line to the beach. These DAMs require lobstermen who want to continue fishing in the target areas to use modified gear, including sinking groundlines.
Add to that the Massachusetts restrictions on floating groundlines, which culminated on Jan. 1 with a statewide ban, and there are now an estimated 2,000 New England lobstermen who have either switched to sink rope or are planning to in order to be able to fish without interruption.
Subsidy programs may help offset initial costs of changing out float rope for sink rope, but the steeper cost comes from the fact that sink rope needs to be replaced more often. Massachusetts, Maine, and NMFS continue to work on finding better alternatives – more durable sink rope and low profile rope not as vulnerable to hang-downs – but right now there’s no obvious best choice.
Fishermen, by their nature, are extraordinary innovators. And now they have a growing body of real-world experience using rope products available on the market today.
This is why we believe it makes sense to bring individuals with that talent and experience together. Reading about how different brands of sink line perform – and how fellow fishermen have tried and succeeded or failed with rope deployment strategies – will help others make more informed decisions the next time they need to buy that coil or truckload of rope.
We know that the federal whale plan is a hot-button issue. Federal court decisions in favor of environmentalists continue to drive the whale protection process. Fishermen rightly feel they are bearing an inordinate amount of the burden for saving the whales, both operationally and financially.
But we need to be clear about this: The CFN Sink Rope Discussion Forum will not be a place to vent about those injustices or gripe about managers or other fishermen. Rather, our goal is to foster a rational discussion that will help fishermen make the best rope-buying decisions, cut their losses, and keep on fishing with sinking rope where and when it’s mandated.
We also will do our best to stock the web site with the most complete and up-to-date information available on rope development, durability, and use strategies.
The forum will be monitored and moderated to keep the discussion on track. Users will be asked to sign up, agree to posted rules, and log in so everyone will at least have an idea of who’s who. Speaking of full disclosure, the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries has provided some of the start-up funding for the forum but will not play any role in controlling content.
As with any new venture, we’re sure to run into a rough patch here and there, so we hope you’ll be patient. But the true test of success will be if fishermen are able to use the forum to constructively exchange real-life stories about what works and what doesn’t.
To get to the forum, visit our web site at <www.fish-news.com/cfn> and click on “CFN Discussion Forum - Sink Rope.” /cfn/
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