Scientists, fishermen trawl together > Collaboration seeks to determine nature of marine life off the Maine coast

PORTLAND – The Robert Michael is casting its net these days for a different kind of catch – information.

Fishermen and scientists are working together aboard the trawler in the first phase of a federally funded research project in New England. They’re trying to find out what kind of marine life is off the Maine coast and recording their findings so they can compare data in future years.

It’s hoped the findings will fill gaps in scientific knowledge and also improve fisheries management.

“Our understanding of what is happening in the inshore Gulf of Maine has been a big blind spot,” said John Williamson, a former fisherman who now sits on the New England Fishery Management Council.

The Robert Michael’s owner, Robert Tetrault, joined researchers in New Hampshire and Maine to get a $240,000 federal grant through New England’s Sea Grant institutions.

The crew is giving up fishing days offshore at a time of year when prices are improving. In return, they’re getting paid and saving those fishing days for this winter.

Crew members also want to prove they can do science at least as well as the professionals.

“We’ll have a lot more faith in this one here,” said Sean Hayes, the trawler’s captain. “This is being done right.”

The collaboration is hoped to improve relations between fishermen and scientists, but the project is angering some lobstermen.

The Robert Michael goes through rich lobster grounds during its surveys. Lobstermen who fear it is harming the animals and their habitat are considering asking a court or the Legislature to intervene.

“This is a very crude way to do research,” said Jon Doyle, an attorney for the Downeast Lobstermen’s Association. “It essentially tears up the bottom.”

The Robert Michael has met with increasing resistance from lobstermen as it moves from Portsmouth to Down East Maine. Marine Patrol officers had to move about 100 traps out of its way last week so it could collect samples off Boothbay – even though maps of the research areas had been posted in advance.

Clive Farrin, a lobsterman from Boothbay Harbor, said dragging destroys habitat and kills lobsters that are too small to keep or are carrying eggs. And even though the research will affect only about 100 1-mile-long strips along the coast, Farrin is afraid that will be enough to hurt the lobsters and his livelihood.

“It’s not a one-time deal and it’s not once a year. They want to do it twice a year,” Farrin said.

Researchers also face other types of hurdles.

“Geologically, it’s a tough place to tow. And then you throw in the lobster gear situation, and that makes it even harder,” said John Sowles of the Department of Marine Resources.

Sowles said that the sea floor around Maine, with its boulder fields, ledges, pinnacles, valleys and trenches, is much more complex than that of the rest of the Eastern Seaboard.

The lack of money has been a major impediment to such research in past years. But New England’s groundfishing industry has the attention of the region’s congressional delegations and it’s hoped that they will be able to secure millions of dollars for more research.

The current grant is for one year. But Congress has set aside an additional $4 million, and is considering $15 million more for next year.

Meanwhile, Hayes and the Robert Michael’s crew are gradually moving northeast, dragging a trawl net in selected spots. When they pull up the net, the contents are dumped out, sorted by species, counted, weighed and measured before being put back in the ocean.

“I’m surprised at some of the stuff we’re seeing,” Hayes said. “It’s totally cool. I think it has to be done.”