By Tom Allen
For Points East

If you are unaware of the disdain with which recreational boaters are sometimes looked upon in the Gulf of Maine, then you must be one of those damn highlanders yourself. And if you are one of them, then your contribution to a conversation about commercial fishing probably consists of cautious nods and sagacious grunts.

"But, but, but," you might defend yourself, "I've sailed my 40-foot ketch three legs from Provincetown to Bar Harbor, on to Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, and back to P-Town without mishap. Surely that earns me a little salt."

Maybe.

That depends on whether you're willing to admit what you don't know. If you are the nautical version of the guy who won't stop at the gas station to ask for directions, then forget it — the captain of a herring seiner ain't gonna cut you any slack.

So let's be honest. In your ventures offshore into the Gulf of Maine you've been curious (and to be charitable, there simply hasn't been anyone to ask). You see boats that you know are fishing vessels, but just what are they doing and what fish are they pursuing?

You see buoys with highfliers riding the swells, but what are they tethered to? Most importantly, how do you avoid getting into trouble with these boats or their gear?

Well, don't expect to find all the answers here. Instead, treat this as an introduction and an appreciation of all you don't know. Yet. Maybe next time you meet up with that seine fisherman, at least you'll know enough to ask the right questions.



What's the heck's that buoy doing way out here?
Buoys are mysterious objects. Closer to shore, lobster buoys are so ubiquitous as to be visual Maine clichˇs. If we've cruised Downeast at all, we don't even see them anymore. We give them a wide berth, pass them down-current, and keep an eye peeled for the dreaded toggles that become more common as we move east and currents and tides become more of a factor.

But five miles out, a lone buoy or pair of buoys is a head-turner worthy of a little squirt of adrenaline in any recreational boater.

Offshore buoys are much larger than the typical trap buoy. They are weighted so that they stand up. The long spindle usually carries a flag and/or a radar reflector (a metal device shaped like two plates or diamonds joined across their diameters).

OK, but what's down there, anyway?
There's no way to know for certain, but you can at least narrow the possibilities:

Yes, it might be a lobster trawl. Take a look around. Is there another, matching buoy within a few hundred yards? If so, then it's probably a lobster trawl: eight or 10 or more traps strung between the two buoys. Lobster trawl buoys tend to be smaller than buoys for, say, a long-line or gill net. Too large a buoy would lift the end traps on the trawl off bottom.

Then again, it could be a marker for a long-line (or tub-trawl). A long-line is just that — a very long rope with baited hooks. It rests on or near bottom and can be as long as a mile or more. Long-lining was once the most common way of catching groundfish, such as cod, haddock, and halibut. Nowadays, dragging has made long-lining nearly obsolete, but it is still common enough for you to run across it. Again, look around. If there is another buoy within sight, but farther than a few hundred yards away, then you could be looking at a long-line.

Most likely, though, what you're seeing is one end of a gill net. Is there a boat nearby (within a mile or two)? In the past, gillnetters would set and leave a net for days at a stretch. Nowadays, they will more likely set a few smaller nets, monitoring them with radar to make sure that the draggers don't get tangled in them.

Hey! That buoy's moving!
First, rule out the possibility that the buoy just seems to be moving because of the running tide or that it is simply adrift. If the buoy really is moving, then what you've got is a tuna marker. Especially further west and south in the gulf, harpooners will sometimes dart a tuna, set a buoy, and let it run to tire it before hauling back. There ought to be a tuna boat within sight.



That's nice, but can I get into trouble with the gear attached to buoys?
Fortunately, most offshore gear is designed purposely so that it is difficult to damage accidentally. Unless you hit the buoy and break it off or get tangled in the end line, there isn't much you can do to get into trouble. The main danger comes from getting too curious and hauling up the gear to see what it is. Then you'd better prepare yourself for a shot across your bow (if the owner is feeling generous).



So much for buoys. What kind of fishing boat is that?
Considering the different kinds of commercial fishing that happen in the Gulf of Maine, how can you tell just what that boat over there is fishing for? Species landed last year range broadly from herring to haddock, from mackerel to monkfish. So there may be no way of knowing for certain what a boat is chasing. Fishing boats come in three or four main flavors, though, which can narrow the choices for you.

A dragger (or trawler) is a boat that pulls its net behind it. It is almost always stern-rigged, meaning the net is set and hauled back over (or rather through a notch in) the stern. Draggers can be either rigged for groundfishing (haddock, flounder, etc.) or for midwater fishing (most usually herring).

Gillnetters set a large-mesh net that captures fish literally by the gills. The fish are caught by being tangled in the net. Usually these boats are stern rigged with a large net-winch (think of a humongous spool of thread) for hauling back.

A seiner is a boat that basically lassoes the fish it is chasing. It is side-rigged for hauling back. The net winch hangs at the end of a boom that is swung over the side of the boat. Once a school of herring or mackerel is located (ask the captain how he does that), the boat sets its net around the school. The top edge of the net, the corkline, is lined with floats. The bottom edge, the leadline, is weighted. When it is set, the bottom of the net is closed, much like an old-fashioned coin purse, by hauling on a rope called the purseline. Then the net is slowly gathered aboard until the fish are concentrated enough to scoop out.

Offshore lobsterboats are basically the same as the inshore variety. They tend to be larger and almost always have cut-out sterns for setting traps directly from the deck rather from a trap rack (or slide).

Other fishing boats you might see include tuna boats (look for tall flying bridges and/or pulpits; they tend to anchor in large groups when handlining); processors (floating canneries; if you get down-wind you'll know it); or day cruise boats (crowds along the rails; tangled fishing lines).



How to know when a fishing vessel is working?
Well, the glib answer is if you're unsure, always assume it is and give it right of way. The cables trailing behind a dragger are not easily visible when coming head on. But there are ways of telling if a boat is fishing. When dragging in daylight, trawlers have a "dayshape" hung at the top of their rigging: traditionally they would hang a basket, but now use a cone shape. At night they burn a green light in the same place.

When a seiner is fishing during daylight, you will see the net (see description above). At night they will have a red light atop their rigging.



Can I get entangled in a dragger's or seiner's gear?
It'd be pretty tough to get tangled up with a dragger. The cables hauling the net slant steeply into the water. One could pass directly astern a dragger without much worry, but let's be courteous and give them a couple hundred feet. One thing to watch out for, however, is pair trawlers. This is when boats team up, using one boat to tow each side of a net. It would be possible to get into trouble by passing between the two. Draggers on the whole are pretty safe.

It's a different matter with a seiner, though. The big seine boats commonly set nets 400 fathoms in length. That's 2,400 feet of floating net creating a circle 750 feet in diameter. To make matters more complicated, seiners will often use a skiff to tow the vessel away from the net so that the tide will not wrap the net around the boat. With a towline of 200 feet, this adds significantly to the buffer you need to give them.



Suppose I can't avoid a vessel or its gear. How do I contact the skipper?
All commercial vessels offshore in the Gulf of Maine monitor VHF channel 16. Give them your vessel name and description, your location, and describe your problem. Don't be the guy who won't stop to ask for directions.



When am I most likely to get into trouble with a commercial fishing boat?
One word: nighttime. Think about a seiner and how much space he takes up, then imagine coming across one at night. Herring seiners fish almost exclusively at night, since this is when the herring rise up to feed. Then think about meeting a dragger at night. At least the seiner is laying to, not bearing down on you.

In fact, nighttime encounters are the biggest complaint among dragger fishermen regarding recreational boats. Often sailboats will burn just a single anchor light on top of the mast, making it impossible to tell which direction it is heading. Skippers also complain that they are unable to raise the boat on the VHF. So if you're going to cruise at night, for heaven sakes burn some running lights and monitor channel 16. If you don't want to wake your crew with radio chatter, keep a handheld nearby in the cockpit, right next to the powerful spotlight.



I have right of way, but the dragger off my port bow doesn't seem to be bearing off. What do I do?
Use your common sense. He's probably under tow, which means not only is he restricted in his movements by the load he's pulling, but he's crawling along at three knots, making it extremely difficult for him to maneuver. Give him a break, and bear off.



Is there any stretch of water where I can be sure I will be safe from commercial fishing vessels?
The short answer is no.



What's the longer answer?

Fishermen fish where the fish are. For herring boats, tunaboats, and groundfishing draggers, this often means the shoals. Places like Jeffrey's Ledge and George's Banks, where the bottom rises up and makes a natural hangout for the fish they're chasing. But you can't "bank" on it, and you certainly wouldn't want to bet your life on it.



Is there any period of the summer when I can be sure I will be safe from commercial fishing vessels?
You want the short answer or the long answer?

Both.

No, you can't be sure you're safe at any time. You need a slide rule and a super computer to figure the schedule of closings and openings of areas, which are further complicated by catch quotas and "targets". You'd better just assume that if you're in the Gulf of Maine somebody's going to be fishing the water you're passing through.

Tom Allen is a freelance writer and the son of a commercial fisherman. He lives in Harpswell.

For fishing regulations, descriptions of species landed, and other information about commercial fishing in the Gulf of Maine, visit the Department of Marine Resources web site: http://www.state.me.us/dmr/