9 



conditions are dangerous, and it is hard to keep a regular schedule. 



A lobsterman who had to leave his gear in the deeper water over the summer 

 of 1977 because he was rigged for deep water found that some lobsters remained 

 there throughout the summer. He pulled them once a week and caught about half 

 what shallow water drags would have caught in a regular three-day set (0.5-0.7 

 lobsters/trap rather than 1.1-1.5 lobsters/trap) . In the offshore area the 

 lobsters shed in the fall rather than mid-summer. 



One fisherman reported that rock crabs ( Cancer borealis ) are not found 

 this far out. Another reported catching "queen" or "spider" crabs ( Lithodes 

 mai a ) in deeper parts of the area. 



In 1977 there were three lobstermen making use of the proposed site in the 

 winter (from Portland, South Harpswell , and Baily Island). At least three more 

 have fished near this area in previous years. All the lobstermen fishing here 

 may run as many as 3,000 pots although one man has the majority of pots. Typ- 

 ical pot spacings are 1- pot strings set in lines of 100-110 pots per mile run- 

 ning TE-SW. It is thus possible that several hundred pots could be placed in 

 the proposed disposal site. 



One person fishing the dump site area in 1977 will not be fishing there 

 in 1978. While there is a possibility of one or two vessels moving into the 

 area in 1978, the number of vessels fishing the site will remain small. 



Lobster landings at Portland have been slowly increasing in recent years, 

 but tnis probably represents an expansion of effort rather than an increase in 

 productivity. Lobstermen report that their catches in deep water have been 

 stable over up to seven years. It would probably be possible to detect large 

 local changes in lobster density caused by spoil disposal. The monthly landings 



