2007 Regional Ventless Trap Program: Seeking Industry Participants

The Department of Marine Resources, in cooperation with the Gulf of Maine Lobster Foundation, seeks three additional industry participants for a Ventless Trap Program through a competitive bid process. This project was initiated in 2006 and will run during June, July and August 2007. Applicants will need to complete an application to identify vessel specifications, daily charter rate and preferred sampling leg. A total of nine legs will be covered from the Canadian border to New Hampshire, each leg will have 75-100 small mesh traps randomly positioned at three depths. This is an opportunity to participate in an exciting new cooperative research project supported by industry along the entire range of the resource.
More Information About the Project:

Click Here for vessel/captain requirements and proposal application

Click Here for frequently asked questions on the project

All proposals/bids must be post marked by March 31, 2007 and sent to:

Carl Wilson
Regional Ventless Trap Program
Maine Department of Marine Resources
194 McKown Point Rd
West Boothbay Harbor, ME 04575
Project Objectives
  1. Accurately characterize relative abundance and size-distribution of American lobster from Maine through New York.
  2. Develop a coastwide fishery independent monitoring program for American lobster using ventless traps.
  3. Foster an improved relationship between the commercial lobster industry and fisheries scientists and managers.

Average catch per trap of lobsters in Ventless and Vented traps in 2006, by statistical area:

Background

In the review of the most recent Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) stock assessment one of the strongest recommendations made was that the data quality needs to be upgraded significantly. This upgrade is particularly important for the spatial distribution of lobster length frequency and estimates of relative abundance.

Fisheries-dependent trap sampling data historically have not been used to generate relative abundance indices for American lobster because of biases associated with the way these data are collected.

Lobstermen fish their gear in locations where lobsters are known to congregate in order to maintain optimal catch rates. As lobsters move lobstermen move their gear. To address the need to develop a robust time series of relative abundance a cooperative, random-stratified ventless trap survey has been designed to generate estimates of lobster relative abundance and recruitment.
Survey Design

In order to sample the lobster population from Maine through New York the overall sampling effort has been divided into two regions the: Gulf of Maine and Southern New England. These regions are further subdivided based on the National Marine Fisheries Service statistical areas. Maine is responsible for covering three statistical areas (511, 512 and 513) with a total of 700 modified small mesh traps.

Traps will be set in three depth ranges (0-10, 11-20 and 21-30 fathoms) at randomly selected locations within each leg. All traps, line and buoys will be supplied to participating fishermen. Traps will be rigged as triples or six-trap trawls depending on local fishing practices. Each trap will be hauled twice each month on three day soaks. The lobster catch will be measured by a sea sampler and immediately returned to the ocean.



The DMR seeks to contract industry participants to cover one or more of three survey legs:

Leg 1 – Canadian border to Petit Manan
Leg 2 – Petit Menan to MDI
Leg 3 – MDI to Isle au Haut (Open)
Leg 4 – Lower Pen Bay (Open)
Leg 5 – Upper Pen Bay
Leg 6 – Port Clyde to Boothbay
Leg 7 - Boothbay to Harpswell
Leg 8 - Casco Bay to Cape Elizabeth (Open)
Leg 9 - Cape Elizabeth to New Hampshire
Maps of Survey Legs


All Sites


Casco Bay


MDI to Isle au Haut and Lower Penobscot Bay


Additional questions, request for copies of the application and information can be directed toward Carl Wilson at 207.633.9538 or Carl.wilson@maine.gov.


© 2008  Gulf of Maine Lobster Foundation