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Commercial Fisheries News
Volume 34 Number 11
July 2007
Maine float rope exchange project starts without a hitch
SCARBOROUGH, ME – During the last week of May, 127 lobstermen turned in 140,000 pounds of float rope as part of Phase One of the Gulf of Maine Lobster Foundation’s Bottom Line Project voluntary groundline rope exchange.
About 50% of participating lobstermen came from Zone G located in the southern part of the state, where dynamic area management actions forcing them to use “whale safe” gear have become a fact of life. However, fishermen from all along the Maine coast also lined up in trucks in the back parking lot of the RC Moore truck terminal, some hauling trailers piled high with coils of rope.
“We loaded the boat on Monhegan and brought the rope into Port Clyde where we unloaded it to the truck and trailer and drove to Scarborough,” said John Kordak, sternman on the Pat’s Girl, on May 30.
As each lobsterman’s turn came up, employees of the recycling company, Conigliaro Industries of Framingham, MA, unloaded and weighed his load.
John Higgins of the National Marine Fisheries Service Gear Research and Outreach Program was on hand for a good part of the week, working alongside Conigliaro employees and lobstermen. Having done collection work for a similiar federal rope exchange program held in New Jersey in January 2006, Higgins was able to offer some perspective on the Maine exchange.
“The collection went well and fishermen who participated in this effort were thankful for the financial assistance,” he said in a follow-up e-mail.
Once the rope weight was tallied, lobstermen received vouchers valued at $1.40 per pound good toward the purchase of replacement sink rope.
“The voucher is for partial or full payment depending on the type and amount of sink rope they purchase,” said Laura Ludwig, manager of the Bottom Line Project.
New sink rope ranges in price from $1.90 to $2.50 per pound. Float rope costs much less at $1.20 to $1.80 per pound depending on the size.
Recycling
This kind of project is getting to be familiar for Conigliaro Industries.
“We have a lot of experience with float rope. Including this one, we have worked on eight projects from Scarborough, ME to Virginia,” said Steve Kakes, a company supervisor.
The foundation has contracted with Conigliaro to collect, transport, and recycle up to 500,000 pounds of used float rope during Phase One of the project.
As part of the contract, Conigliaro is working toward using the recycled rope in Maine. Several companies have already expressed interest in the plastic-base product made from the recycled rope. One company, Correct Building Products of Biddeford, which manufactures plastic wood used in decking, is one of them.
Ludwig explained that keeping the recycled rope in Maine and out of landfills was important to project organizers.
Governor stops in
On Friday, May 25, the final day of the project, Gov. John Baldacci visited the site to talk with Ludwig and commend the industry on its efforts to deal with pending requirements that are expected to restrict the use of floating groundlines.
“The fact that the lobstermen involved in this program are participating voluntarily is a testament to the sense of responsibility Mainers have for their surroundings,” Baldacci said. “They are doing it because it’s the right thing to do, and I have a great amount of respect for that commitment.”
Next exchange
Maine lobstermen interested in participating in the next rope exchange can expect Phase Two of the project to begin in 2008, according to Ludwig.
For more information on the project, call Ludwig at (207) 263-5300 or e-mail her at <laura@gomlf.org>. To check out the various types of recycling that Conigliaro Industries does, go to <www.conigliaro.com>.
Rosanne Mizzoni
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