MAINE, USA — The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration hopes to step up the use of underwater video cameras to inspect lobster trap lines to ensure compliance with federal rules. The video cameras can alert inspectors whether lobstermen are complying with requirements to insert weak links into their traplines, to help whales break through the rope, and to use rope that sinks to the bottom.
Michael Henry, a top fisheries enforcement officer for the NOAA in the Northeast told the Associated Press said, “We did have some success. We identified gear with floating ground lines, missing trap-tags and unmarked surface gear.” He also added that the agency is hiring a contractor to deploy the vehicles in the fisheries that lie farthest from shore more often and may buy smaller versions for use by federal patrols closer to shore, Henry said. However, lobster industry advocates are skeptical about the efforts.
A proposal by Gov. Janet Mills could help. According to the AP, “the Gov. wants to use $3.3 million from federal recovery money for equipment including a large vessel to routinely handle the challenges of at-sea inspections.”