The New England Fishery Management Council has tabled an alternative gear marking proposal that could enable more Maine lobster fishers to use ropeless gear in closed areas following public opposition from commercial fishing groups and a Maine legislator.
“A packed house of fishermen – with NEFSA members making up the strong majority – made their concerns loud and clear both in person and through the flood of public comments leading up to the vote. This is another major win for American commercial fisheries,” New England Fishermen's Stewardship Association (NEFSA) said in a social media post.
While conservation groups have advocated for ropeless gear adoption as a way to reduce whale entanglements, fishers question the efficacy of the gear as well as the costs of replacing their current gear. Participants in California’s experimental spring Dungeness crab fishery – which allows fishers using ropeless gear to continue operating after the regular commercial fishery is closed to avoid whale entanglements – have spoken highly of the pilot program, but interest in ropeless gear has been limited.
An attempt by federal regulators to force Maine lobster fishers to use ropeless gear was ultimately rejected by the courts, though resentment remains. In the aftermath, lawmakers in Congress banned regulators from overhaul Maine lobster regulators for five years.
The Joint Alternative Gear-Marking Framework would not have required fishers to adopt ropeless gear; it would have enabled alternative digital markings for buoys and opened the door to the use of ropeless gear in areas otherwise closed to commercial fishing. The NEFMC was set to consider the framework at its September meeting.
The Joint Alternative Gear-Marking Framework was heavily criticized by commercial fishing groups, including NEFSA and the Maine Lobstermen’s Association, in the lead up to the vote.
“The MLA urges the New England and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Councils to delay action on the proposed 'alternative gear marking.' Too many unanswered questions remain. Lobstermen deserve clarity before rules are rushed through,” the Maine Lobstermen's Association said ahead of the council meeting.
Opponents suggested the proposal was a backdoor attempt to force the Maine lobster fishery to use ropeless gear, despite NEFMC staff insisting that the framework “would not require the use of gear-marking alternatives or on-demand gear” and “this action would not allow the immediate use of on-demand fishing until additional steps are taken.”
U.S. Representative Jared Golden (D-Maine) also came out against the proposal just before the NEFMC meeting, penning a letter in opposition.
“Maine’s lobstermen are facing tremendous uncertainty, with various agencies operating in parallel considering new regulations that would fundamentally alter what it looks like to haul traps off the coast of Maine,” Golden said. “Congress enacted a moratorium on requiring this kind of gear, and that moratorium is still in effect while more data is gathered and studied. This framework, if adopted, would muddy the waters about what is required of Maine’s harvesters, and there’s no need for it.”
In the face of that opposition at its September meeting in Gloucester, Massachusetts, U.S.A., NEFMC voted to table the framework.
“The Council voted to postpone final action on the Joint Omnibus Alternative Gear-Marking Framework Adjustment, citing industry concerns about cost and safety, particularly regarding the technology needed to locate traps without buoy lines, and the considerable industry turn out,” NEFMC said in a release. “The Council heard numerous public comments from a range of constituents prior to the vote. The postponement will allow time for additional stakeholder input and information gathering on alternative gear marking and visualization technology through a forthcoming NMFS Request for Information.”
The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC) is set to consider the framework at its October meeting, and NEFMC said it plans consider next steps at its December meeting. NEFMC will also issue a request for information in 2026 to gather more input on its plans.
