Gulf of Maine Lobster Foundation (GOMLF) announces the final opportunity for Maine lobstermen to turn in their floating groundlines before federal regulations requiring sinking line go into effect on Sun., April 5.
The week of March 23, GOMLF will hold two-day rope exchanges in Ellsworth and Rockland.
Both locations are fully booked, as all lobstermen were required to pre-register. Approximately 280 lobstermen will attend each of the exchanges, bringing in an estimated 380,000 pounds of floating rope.
Participating lobstermen will receive vouchers worth $1.40 per pound toward the purchase of sinking line. Sinking groundlines will be necessary in many areas to comply with a federal regulation aimed at reducing the entanglement potential for large whales.
Most elements of the Final Rule amending the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan went into effect on April 5, 2008, except for the broad-based sinking groundline requirements for all trap/pot and gillnet fishermen.
GOMLF and other industry organizations provided information to the National Marine Fisheries Service regarding the availability of sinking groundlines and the progress of the commercial lobster fishery in converting to sinking groundlines, which resulted in the NMFS determination to delay the regulation until April 5.
GOMLF, a small Maine-based non-profit organization collaborating with northeast lobstermen and scientists on industry-based research projects, continues to seek more funding for future rope exchanges. Interested Maine lobstermen should contact GOMLF to be added to the waiting list.
To date, the Bottom Line Project has collected 992,000 pounds of floating groundline and issued vouchers for sinking rope worth over $1,380,000. Vouchers are used to buy sinking rope at participating rope dealers in Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts. All rope has either been recycled into plastic products or has been used by small Maine companies to weave doormats.
For more information on the Bottom Line Project, visit www.gomlf.org or contact Laura Ludwig at the Gulf of Maine Lobster Foundation, 985-8088.