Vol. 3, No. 2 Contents
Headline Back Issues
Spring 1999
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Herring huntThe Gulf of Maine Aquarium Development Corporation (GOMADC) is coordinating a herring hunt that capitalizes on fishermen's "incredibly vast store of experiential knowledge and understanding of a very complex ecosystem," according to GOMADC President Don Perkins. The project aims to address the herring industry's concern that Gulf of Maine herring stock abundance is being inadequately monitored, he said. Two Maine-based fishing vessels that already use acoustical fish-finding instruments have been outfitted with additional acoustical instruments of a type used by Canada's Department of Fisheries and Oceans. The instruments will log information for researchers, and because they are ones that fishermen typically use, "there's not a debate about where did you get this data and what does it mean," Perkins said. Walt Raber, owner of the participating trawler Providian, and a relatively recent arrival on the Maine coast from Alaska, is not worried that the research may reveal the herring stock to be smaller than originally thought. "What really matters to me is getting the most accurate information," he said. One component of the project involves collecting data on herring stocks while the vessels are fishing. Fishermen simply turn the instruments on as they leave port. Another part consists of estimating the abundance of spawning herring stocks. Because fishermen don't fish on spawning herring, these surveys have to be done separately from fishing trips, according to Phil Yund, an Associate Professor at the University of Maine School of Marine Sciences, and Research Manager for the project. Organizers said few of the spawning surveys took place last season because it was a poor season for herring, and fishermen were unwilling to give up a night fishing to conduct research, regardless of the compensation they would receive for the survey trips. But despite this setback and some technical complications in installing equipment, the partners are eager to keep pursuing the project. "We all believe that the partnership is in everybody's best interests." said Jeff Kaelin, Executive Director of the Maine Sardine Council, who secured funding for the project. Fisherman Paul Tough (left) and Sean Smith, Data Analyst/Coordinator for the Halifax-based Fishermen and Scientists Research Society, review a record book that Tough keeps for the organization. Many collaborative projects involve collection of data by fishermen while they are at sea. |
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