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July 22, 2019

Lobstermen, under pressure from regulations, call for preservation of their livelihood 

lobstermen rally Courtesy / Knight Canney Group Lobstermen and government officials convened at the Stonington Commercial Fish Pier Sunday to call for support of the lobster industry in the face of mounting pressures.
By Staff

Lobstermen from Machias to Boothbay Harbor rallied July 21 on the Stonington Commercial Fish Pier to draw greater attention to the issues facing the survival of their industry and the livelihoods of coastal Maine communities.

They were joined by Gov. Janet Mills, three of Maine’s four Congressional delegates and state government representatives.

The rally was convened in response to impending federal regulations that would force lobstermen to withdraw half of their vertical lines from the water column, by reconfiguring their trap gear.

A vertical line is the rope that connects a trap or a string of traps to an identifying buoy on the water’s surface. Earlier this year, federal regulators proposed the action in order to reduce the incidences of injury and death of the endangered North Atlantic right whale population.

Although there was steady population growth from about 270 right whales in 1990 to about 480 in 2010, a downward trajectory began after that. The trend grew worse with an unprecedented 17 whale deaths, particularly in the Gulf of St. Lawrence snow crab fishery, during 2017.

The situation became more alarming this summer with the discovery of six North Atlantic right whale deaths and one entanglement in the Gulf of St. Lawrence in Canada, according to a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration news release. Four deaths were mature females.

But lobster fishermen have pointed out that the deaths are occurring in Canadian waters, not U.S. As a result, they’ve questioned the proposed gear change.

“NOAA knows that not one right whale has been proven to have been entangled in Maine rope in many years and the new proposed regulations would only cause extreme danger to our lobstermen,” the rally’s organizer, lobster fisherman Julie Eaton, said in a news release.

“We are the first line of protection to the marine mammals of all types and had much rather work on sensible solutions that work for everyone. Between the proposed new regulations for the right whale, a bait shortage and the threat of aquaculture leases that could allow a single person sole use of 1,000 acres of our fishing grounds, these are dark times for Maine's lobstermen. We are hoping that our state and federal politicians will hear our plea and stand by us and our coastal communities.”

With regard to bait, Eaton was referring to a 70% cut in the fishing quota for Atlantic herring, the lobster industry’s preferred bait, made by federal regulators this year.

With regard to aquaculture leases, she was referring to the Maine Department of Marine Resources recent rejection of a citizens petition that requested a moratorium on aquaculture leases of over 10 acres.

Courtesy / National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
This graphic illustrates lobster gear configuration. “Weak links” and “sink lines” have been used to prevent harmful interactions with whales. Weak links are intended to break under the force of a whale encounter. Sink lines lie on the seabed, out of the path of transiting whales.

Eaton added that the impacts go beyond individual lobstermen.

“If we can’t make a living then we can’t buy vehicles. We don’t fix our homes, which impacts contractors. We don’t spend as much at the grocery store,” she said. “When a large community such as this with more than 4,800 lobster license holders is impacted the ripple effect will be felt far and wide.”

Gov. Mills has asked Department of Marine Resources Commissioner Patrick Keliher to evaluate a risk reduction target for Maine that is commensurate to risk posed by the lobster industry. 

“Maine’s lobster industry is a critical pillar of our state’s economy, with thousands of commercial harvesters and dealers supporting their families, breathing life into their communities, providing jobs, and helping sustain a treasured way of life,” Mills said in the release. “We are committed to pursuing solutions based on sound science that protect both lobstermen and right whales.”

U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and U.S. Reps. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine 1st District, and Jared Golden, D-Maine 2nd District, attended the rally as well.

Additional remarks

U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine: “I am working with my colleagues in the Maine Delegation, lobstermen and women, state officials, and all stakeholders to find a solution that ensures a strong future for the lobster industry and reflects reality in the Gulf of Maine.”

U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine 1st District: "The right whale population needs our help. I am concerned, however, that NOAA’s one-size-fits-all risk reduction tool may not be the best fit for Maine’s lobster industry, and could potentially endanger the lives and livelihoods of Maine lobstermen. Before we ask them to make such significant and costly changes, we need more information about the risk factors to right whales to ensure that reducing lines will actually keep them from harm.”

U.S. Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine 2nd District: "The new NOAA regulations could put many Maine lobstermen out of business without a guarantee that any right whales would be saved. It is important to Maine communities and the lobster industry that we continue to fight against unfair rules and inaccurate information. We’re calling for solutions based on sound science and good data that protect lobstermen and whales.”

U.S. Sen. Angus King, I-Maine: In a separate news release, King said the proposed federal regulation might not prevent further decline in the right whale population, since the whales spend long periods of time outside of Maine waters and it’s difficult to determine where a whale first became entangled. “Of particular concern is the lack of needed regulations on Canadian lobstermen, even though the data shows right whales are far more likely to be seriously hurt or injured in Canadian waters,” he said. 

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1 Comments

Anonymous
July 22, 2019
Lobster fishing and our coastal communities are under even more severe threat by the refusal to address climate change. Entire lobster fishing communities, their piers, buildings, properties and water access will be gone of this goes on. Not to mention the impact on the bait fish and lobster ecosystems. All of this should be considered and acted on if Maine is to continue having a lobster fishing industry.
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