The New England Fishery Management Council voted nearly unanimously last week in favor of a partial ban on fishing in an area off the coast of Maine that is home to increasingly rare deepwater corals.
However, the council also approved an exemption that would allow lobstering in the area near Mount Desert Rock and Outer Schoodic Ridge, a fishery with an estimated annual value of USD 4.2 million (EUR 3.8 million), according to an article in the Portland Press Herald.
“Maine wants protection for coral, but not at all costs,” Terry Stockwell, the council vice chairman and external affairs director for the Maine Department of Marine Resoruces told the PPH. “We need balance.”
The council voted 14-1 to ban all fishing except lobstering in a 31-square-mile area in the Outer Schoodic Ridge coral zone off Schoodic Point and in an 18-square-mile area south of Mount Desert Island. Since 2002, researchers exploring the area have discovered fragile coral habitat there, and also evidence that trawling has done damage to the corals.
The exemption for lobstering is “far from a done deal,” according to Stockwell. Two public hearings in Maine in May will be key to ensuring the exemption, he said.
Stockwell had argued that banning lobster fishing in the areas would do little to protect coral, as lobstermen avoid rocky areas to avoid the risk of losing gear. Stockwell also said that a ban would push lobstermen to place their traps in areas that would increase the risk of entanglements with critically endangered right whales.
