August 17, 2023 — A full transition to on-demand or ‘ropeless’ lobster gear in Massachusetts could cost fishermen as much to use the new equipment as buy it, according to a report recently completed for the state Division of Marine Fisheries.
Titled “Estimating the Costs of Using On-Demand Gear in Massachusetts Lobster Fisheries,” the paper is “a deep dive into the financial impacts of using the gear onboard lobster fishing vessels,” according to state officials.
Ropeless gear would eliminate vertical lines between lobster traps and marker buoys on the surface, with the goal of reducing the danger of entanglement with highly endangered North Atlantic right whales. “On-demand” refers to technologies that enable lobstermen to summon buoys anchored on the seafloor when it’s time to retrieve the gear.
The study was written by Noah Oppenheim, a natural resources consultant and owner of Maine-based of Homarus Strategies LLC; professor Robert Griffin of the School for Marine Science & Technology at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth; and professor Andrew Goode of the University of Maine.