Lobstermen dispute need for fishing closure

YORK – Maine lobstermen are upset by the National Marine Fisheries Service’s proposal to close 1,600 square nautical miles of lobster fishing grounds off the coast of southern Maine.

The federal agency is contemplating closing the large area of winter lobstering grounds for two weeks to protect northern right whales, said Pat White of the Maine Lobstermen’s Association.

Several of the endangered whales were spotted in an area near Jeffrey’s Ledge, and the National Marine Fisheries Service has the right to close down the area to fishing within 48 hours to protect them.

Lobstermen, who say they’ve worked to make their gear less harmful to whales, don’t believe the restriction is necessary.

Peter Eaton, a lobsterman from Cape Porpoise, said that the short notice would make it difficult to get their traps out of the water. “At a time of year when the weather is unpredictable and the seas are rough, it is ‘mission impossible’ for the industry, and a dangerous one at that,” he said Wednesday evening in a statement.