NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — August 11, 2012 — The man who invented the wire lobster trap believes he can help rebuild cod stocks in New England by persuading fishermen to stop dragging nets and switch to cod pots, similar to those used for lobster fishing.
It took 20 years for Jim Knott's wire pots, which debuted in 1957, to be accepted by fishermen as replacements for the heavy wooden traps then in common use. Now he is encountering a similar reluctance to embrace this innovative fishing gear, he said.
"Cod pots are the standard in Alaska and Newfoundland," said Knott, founder and current president of Riverdale Mills in Northbridge. His company manufactures the wire mesh used for many of the lobster traps used in New England.
Knott, 83, has an economics degree from Harvard and said he believes that cod pots create less environmental damage than trawl gear and can save fishermen thousands of dollars in fuel costs.
"The wonderful thing about pots is that everything comes up alive," he said, allowing undersized or unwanted fish to be thrown back.
Knott first saw cod pots at a fish expo he attended in St. John's, Newfoundland and brought the idea back to New England. The Massachusetts Department of Marine Fisheries became interested and conducted a yearlong study in the waters off Chatham. The project began in November 2008, using pots made by Knott's company from the Newfoundland design, in addition to a smaller version manufactured in Norway.
"Mike Pol told me they worked but I'm still waiting for them to be approved," Knott told the Standard-Times.
Michael Pol, a marine biologist with DMF and a key figure in the state-run study, was on vacation and unavailable for comment. The report on the study concluded that pots "are now demonstrated to be effective at catching Atlantic cod in the region," but it also noted that "commercial practicality still appears elusive."
Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard Times.