The New England Fishery Management Council voted unanimously Thursday to postpone action on a proposed regulatory framework that could allow fishermen to use alternative kinds of gear to fish in federal coastal waters that are otherwise seasonally restricted to protect whales.
These newer types of on-demand and rope-less fishing gear use digital markers to show their location, rather than physical surface markers such as buoys attached to vertical lines.
But after receiving feedback this summer, council members including Geoff Smith, with The Nature Conservancy in Maine, have decided that there are still too many questions and too much confusion about technology and regulations to move forward.
"I think we've shown that that gear can work for fixed gear fishermen who choose to use it," said Smith during Thursday's meeting in Gloucester, Massachusetts. "But I believe we need to make sure that it also works for mobile and fixed gear fishermen who don't choose to use it."
However, during the public comment portion of the meeting, many in the lobster fishing industry were vocal about their opposition to alternative gear, and expressed disappointment at the vote to delay taking action.
"This needs to be taken off the table forever in the lobster industry," one longtime lobsterman said.
The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council will also vote on the proposal next month. According to a spokesperson for the NEMFC, if the two councils arrive at different decisions, this proposal will then go to NOAA.
