April 10, 2023 — With experiments now underway with ropeless trap gear in the Northeast, the New England Fishery Management Council is recruiting fishermen for a new group for ideas on reducing potential conflicts between mobile gears and trap lines not marked by surface buoys.
There is intense pressure on the Northeast lobster and offshore fisheries to reduce use of vertical lines, and their possibilities for entangling endangered North Atlantic right whales. The National Marine Fisheries Service sees new technology for setting trap lines with buoys that stay on the sea floor until recalled by an acoustic signal from fishermen as a promising long-term solution.
The “on-demand fishing gear conflict working group” would help the council deal with how to head off conflicts between the new gear and other fisheries like groundfish, monkfish, scallop and the recreational party and charter boat fleet.