Cobscook Fisheries Forum Notes on Urchin Conservation and Management

February 7, 2004

COBSCOOK IS DIFFERENT

Information presented at the Cobscook Fisheries Forum demonstrates how Cobscook Bay differs from the rest of the State of Maine on urchins:

COBSCOOK FACTS:

¨ Landings sold in the Cobscook Bay area (Lubec, Dennysville, and Eastport) in 2002-03 were 1.5 million pounds valued at $1.9 million. This compares to landings in all of Zone 1 of 2.0 million pounds. Total landings in Zone 2 were 4.7 million pounds. (Margaret Hunter, DMR)

¨ 26% of urchin dragger licenses in 2003 were held by Cobscook fishermen. (Cobscook Bay Resource Center, from Department of Marine Resources data)

¨ According to annual DMR urchin surveys, while the grams per square meter of urchins have declined in the rest of the state over the last three years, they have increased in locations surveyed in Cobscook Bay. (Margaret Hunter, DMR)

WE NEED A COBSCOOK URCHIN MANAGEMENT AREA

The participants at the Cobscook Fisheries Forum agreed to work for a Cobscook urchin management area, tied together with research and pilot projects on urchin relocation, stock enhancement and other conservation measures.

Ideas presented for discussion included:

¨ Don't do anything in one fishery that will have a negative affect on another.

¨ Don't just "cut"- "add". Support stock enhancement.

¨ Use urchin council money to create seeding programs.

¨ Work with the Peacock Urchin Hatchery in Lubec on enhancement experiments.

¨ Conduct low-cost studies of relocation survival rates.

¨ Re-seed areas you've moved urchins from.

¨ Set up rotating fishing areas.

¨ Examine the effectiveness of the current "culling" requirements.

¨ Look at local management areas so that local people have a say in how restrictions are implemented in their areas.

¨ Establish nine zones state-wide.

¨ Consider a daily tote limit for Cobscook Bay.

¨ Try to stabilize price fluctuations.

Research and pilot projects should be undertaken including:

¨ Using suspended cages to study recruitment and for collection of juveniles.

¨ Using hatchery raised urchins for grow-out studies.

¨ Improve methods of relocating urchins from mud bottom to previously good growth areas.

¨ Try transfers from lobster traps.