The Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries announced Thursday a one-year study to assess the challenges and opportunities ropeless fishing gear might present to the state s lobster fishery.
The gear is not actually without rope, but with the help of different devices it is designed to eliminate the vertical buoy lines on fixed traps and potentially reduce the risk of right whale entanglement.
The appeal for scientists and conservationists is that with ropeless gear, the water column remains open to allow the unobstructed passage of the endangered North Atlantic right whale. However, lobstermen who would need to change their gear if a ropeless system was adopted have expressed concern and doubt about the technology s reliability and cost.