Gulf of Maine Times

Summer 1999 - Volume 3, Number 2

Fishermen, scientists bridge Gulf with research

IMAGE: Captain Henry Souza extracts fish from one codend of a trouser trawl net. The trouser trawl has two codends, enabling fishermen and Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) researchers to conduct comparative testing. DMF works with fishermen on experimental fishing gear and numerous other research projects. Gulf of Maine ---- From studying squid mating habits to modifying fishing gear to prevent whale entanglements, fishermen and scientists are expanding their understanding of the Gulf of Maine, and of one another, through diverse collaborative research projects.

Several factors are contributing to what sources describe as an increase in joint research projects. One is that fishermen want more of a role in managing their fisheries. Another is that government agencies need help collecting data, especially in Canada, where budget cuts are limiting federal researchers' time in the field. But most important is what fishermen and researchers describe as a growing understanding and appreciation of one another's contributions.

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Correction On page 6 of the March 1999 Gulf of Maine Times (Vol. 3 No. 1) two aerial photographs of Maine's Bangor/Brewer area are shown. The orientation of the top photo gives the impression that Brewer is on the north side of the Penobscot River and Bangor is on the south side of the river when, in fact, the opposite is the case. Also, captions describe the photos as showing the Bangor Mall area, but they actually show much wider areas of the cities of Bangor and Brewer. The editors apologize for the errors.