Federal regulators decided Thursday to recommend barring most fishing around two deep-sea coral canyons off the coast of Maine — although they gave lobstermen an exemption.
The coral canyons of Outer Schoodic Ridge and Mt. Desert Rock lie about 25 miles off Hancock County. Scientists and fishermen recognize their ecological value, and fisheries regulators want to protect them from damage.
At a Portland meeting, the New England Fisheries Management Council voted to bar most fishing in those areas, but made an exception for lobstering.
"It gives adequate protections for corals in the Gulf of Maine in two very specific areas, and it exempts lobster gear which has a lot of landed value coming from those two areas and we believe very little impact to the coral so we think it's a good balance," says Patrick Keliher, Commissioner of the Maine Department of Marine Resources.
Keliher says about 50 lobstermen should be able to continue to haul traps in the targeted area, harvesting some $9 million worth of crustaceans each year. Under the decision, some trawlers will still be able to drag nets in areas that have historically been fished as well, but barred from expanding farther into the protected zone. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will make the ultimate decision.