| Contributors | Affiliation | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Pol, Michael | Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries | Principal Investigator |
Project Leader: Mike Pol, Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries
The first phase of this project was funded by the Northeast Consortium in 2000. This proposal seeks to continue field testing of two experimental gillnets designed by Robert MacKinnon. One experimental design adds lead weight to an otherwise ordinary floatline; the second experimental design replaces the floatline of the gillnet with another leadline. Both designs strive to reduce the vertical profile of the nets and exploit a behavioral difference between cod and flatfish. Fishing experience and video observation suggest that cod do not often venture to the very bottom of the ocean, and flatfish do not often rise more than one foot above the bottom. The ultimate use of the experimental nets, if proven, is to either allow fishing for flatfish in areas closed for cod, or to reduce the bycatch of cod in open areas.
Fifteen overnight sets of all four nets have been completed; data are currently being analyzed. Field testing was designed to allow comparisons of catch rates of cod and commercially valuable flatfish between experimental nets and standard nets. Results so far indicate that the design with added lead catches less cod than the standard cod and flatfish nets; the mean catch rate of the dual leadline net is lower than the standard nets, but not significantly so. Insufficient quantities of flatfish were captured in the nets to allow comparisons of flatfish catch rates.
The lack of flatfish is probably a result of testing in suboptimal places and times. The time and place of these fifteen sets was constrained by area closures and severe weather. This proposal seeks additional funding to allow further testing in February and March 2002 in Area 125. Area 125 is closed to commercial fishing during this time period because of high concentrations of cod. This time and place are our best chance to test these nets where sufficient densities of cod and flatfish are present to allow valid comparisons. Entering the closed area to perform this experiment will require an Experimental Fishing Permit (EFP) from the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS).
The experimental design and protocol proposed do not substantially differ from the testing funded in 2000 by the Consortium. The development of this proposal was encouraged following the submission of a Planning Letter. (abstract)
Related data objects:
Testing of Low-Profile, Low-Bycatch Gillnets
Temperature recorded from data loggers on "lo-lo" gillnets
| File |
|---|
gillnets_summary.csv (Comma Separated Values (.csv), 29.32 KB) MD5:f8db07458668af5dfe01107f014d6488 Primary data file for dataset ID 3089 |
| Dataset-specific Instrument Name | Gillnet |
| Generic Instrument Name | Gillnet |
| Generic Instrument Description | Gillnetting uses curtains of netting that are suspended by a system of floats and weights; they can be anchored to the sea floor or allowed to float at the surface. A gillnet catches fish by their gills because the twine of the netting is very thin, and either the fish does not see the net or the net is set so that it traps the fish. |
| Website | |
| Platform | F/V Lady Irene |
| Report | |
| Start Date | 2000-12-03 |
| End Date | 2002-02-25 |
The Northeast Consortium encourages and funds cooperative research and monitoring projects in the Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank that have effective, equal partnerships among fishermen, scientists, educators, and marine resource managers.
The Northeast Consortium seeks to fund projects that will be conducted in a responsible manner. Cooperative research projects are designed to minimize any negative impacts to ecosystems or marine organisms, and be consistent with accepted ethical research practices, including the use of animals and human subjects in research, scrutiny of research protocols by an institutional board of review, etc.
At the 2008 Maine Fisheremen's Forum, the Northeast Consortium organized a session on data collection and availability. Participants included several key organizations in the Gulf of Maine area, sharing what data are out there and how you can find them.
The Northeast Consortium has joined the Gulf of Maine Ocean Data Partnership. The purpose of the GoMODP is to promote and coordinate the sharing, linking, electronic dissemination, and use of data on the Gulf of Maine region.
The Northeast Consortium was created in 1999 to encourage and fund effective, equal partnerships among commercial fishermen, scientists, and other stakeholders to engage in cooperative research and monitoring projects in the Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank. The Northeast Consortium consists of four research institutions (University of New Hampshire, University of Maine, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), which are working together to foster this initiative.
The Northeast Consortium administers nearly $5M annually from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for cooperative research on a broad range of topics including gear selectivity, fish habitat, stock assessments, and socioeconomics. The funding is appropriated to the National Marine Fisheries Service and administered by the University of New Hampshire on behalf of the Northeast Consortium. Funds are distributed through an annual open competition, which is announced via a Request for Proposals (RFP). All projects must involve partnership between commercial fishermen and scientists.
The Northeast Consortium seeks to fund projects that will be conducted in a responsible manner. Cooperative research projects should be designed to minimize any negative impacts to ecosystems or marine organisms, and be consistent with accepted ethical research practices, including the use of animals and human subjects in research, scrutiny of research protocols by an institutional board of review, etc.
| Funding Source | Award |
|---|---|
| National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) |