Soon Lobstermen in Maine are supposed to begin using rope that's weak enough to allow endangered North Atlantic right whales to break through. But they complain they need another two months for the supply chain to catch up.
Maine lobstermen say there's a critical shortage of specialized trap-gear they need to comply with new federal whale protection rules that go into effect this spring. The industry and Maine political leaders are asking the feds to postpone the deadline by two months. But some gear-makers and suppliers say they can make it available, if only someone would order it.
"There's a few options that exist but you can't get that equipment," he says."I've looked into it myself, there isn't enough, it doesn't exist. So we can be told we need to comply by May 1, but if I can't buy the stuff what am I supposed to do?" Collins broached the question at a committee hearing with Raimondo, who oversees the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. But Raimondo says she has no authority to unilaterally postpone the rule.
That's a fraction of the 300,000 weak links the agency says Maine's fleet would need to install by May 1, with hundreds of thousands more needed by peak season in the fall. Another joint venture by Brooks Trap Mill and the Maine Mold & Machine Company could add significant production, as many as 25,000 plastic links a day, if they can get federal approval.
Meanwhile, there are options other than plastic links on the table, such as braided sleeves that can be woven into rope-line to make it more easily breakable.
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