By Amanda Estes
Staff Writer
     Once all the rope had been weighed, the Gulf of Maine Lobster Foundation (GOMLF) had collected more than 140,000 pounds of used float rope from Maine lobstermen during phase one of the Bottom Line Project.
      “In terms of the rope that’s out there, this is a drop in the bucket,” said Laura Ludwig of GOMLF’s Maine Groundline Exchange Program. She said most of the lobstermen coming in with pickup truck beds rounded over with rope said, ‘I’ve got a lot more rope than this.’
      GOMLF is taking a proactive stance as the commercial lobster industry awaits the Final Whale Rule, which is expected to ban the use of floating groundlines between traps as a method of providing protection for endangered whale species, including humpback, fin and right whales. Whales can become entangled in the floating lines, resulting in scars or death if the rope becomes embedded in their mouths, making it difficult to eat.
      Due to current litigation and investigations surrounding the issue, Ludwig said it is unclear when the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) will come out with the regulation, but she said it likely won’t be before this fall. With still more than a million dollars in federal funding to buy rope back, she said the next groundline exchange will take place after the rule comes out.
      Lobstermen participating in last week’s voluntary rope exchange received vouchers worth $1.40 per pound of used float rope to go toward the costs of purchasing sink ropes, which can cost twice as much as floating ropes. Ludwig said float rope ranges between 95 cents and $1.50 per pound and sink ropes range between $1.80 and $2.00 per pound.
      Chip Zeiner, who lobsters off the coast of Cape Porpoise, said buying new rope is part of the business and something lobstermen have to do every year. Zeiner turned in more than 1,600 pounds of float rope on Friday. He said he mostly uses sink rope, but does use some float rope during the fall and the winter months.
      “It’s another hit...we get hit quite a lot,” he said.
      Pat White, a lobstermen and president of GOMLF’s board of directors, said the commercial lobstermen will have to give up gear that has been proven to work very well. With a price tag of $8,000 to $10,000 for one set of gear, however, it makes sense for lobstermen to take advantage of an economic assistance program such as the Bottom Line Project.
      “If they don’t play the game, they’re going to get gear confiscated,” White said. He said the hope is the exemption line will be outside the three-mile limit of state waters, where 80 percent of the lobstering takes place.
      Lobstermen are also hoping the regulation will give them some room for experimentation and new technology such as low profile lines. Mark White, who brought in a truckload of rope, said the industry will need to come up with some other alternatives. He said the rule will make things more difficult, but the groundline exchange gives him a “heads up” for what’s coming down the road.
      On Friday, Governor John Baldacci paid a visit to the R.C. Moore Transportation Center in Scarborough, where GOMLF and the Massachusetts recycling firm Conigliaro Industries were collecting, weighing and preparing the rope for transport. Baldacci said he wanted to see the operation in action as he thinks the commercial lobster industry is an important one for the state of Maine. He said he was impressed by GOMLF’s efforts to get ahead of the regulations.
      Ludwig said GOMLF is still in the process of working with different processors to determine how the rope could be used in recycled products. She said one possibility is to process the rope so it can be used by wood composite manufacturers and eventually be used for decking material. Whatever use they come up with, Ludwig said the process will happen in Maine and they will be working with the recycling firm to bring the product back to Maine.