Keeping the dogfish away

Bycatch repellent would help fishermen

BY CLARKE CANFIELD

“Dog!” whoops Ben Gowell as he reels in his line 12 miles offshore, pulling up a spiny dogfish from nearly 300 feet down. The dogfish, well-known among recreational and commercial fishermen, is one of many that have been landed this mid-July day aboard a University of New England research boat.

Gowell is among the students taking part in a research project to collect data and determine if a device attached to the lines is effective in repelling dogfish—thereby reducing the shark bycatch for fishermen from Maine to Florida.

The contraption, called a bycatch reduction device or BRD, emits weak electrical stimuli that keep sharks away. They operate under the same concept as electrical dog controls, commonly called “invisible fences” and give off electrical fields to keep dogs in their yards.

If the data show that the BRDs are effective—and preliminary findings suggest they are—the goal is to commercialize them for widespread use, said John Mohan, an assistant professor of marine science at UNE who is overseeing the student-led project.

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“Industry adoption is the ultimate goal,” Mohan said as he manned the wheel of the Sharkology, a 34-foot boat with twin 250-horsepower engines. Spiny dogfish are abundant throughout New England waters and along the Eastern Seaboard. They have little commercial value and are generally viewed as a nuisance, reducing fishermen’s harvestable catches and sometimes damaging gear.

The UNE project is testing the devices at sea and in some large tanks in UNE’s Marine Science Center. The research focuses on recreational fishing, continued on page 5

Downeast farms happily singing the blues

Wild blueberry growers diversifying, tout healthy product

BY SARAH CRAIGHEAD DEDMON

When Lisa Hanscom leads tours of Welch Farm, she showcases a working wild blueberry farm, and a slice of her family history, too. Hanscom’s grandparents purchased the Roque Bluffs farm in 1912, moved in after their wedding on Christmas Day, and over time, her grandfather converted the fields to wild blueberries.

Today, four generations of the family still bring in the harvest

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from seaside barrens overlooking Englishman’s Bay.

Hanscom’s lengthy family relationship with the blueberry is overshadowed only by the incredible 10,000-year story of the wild blueberry itself, and that, she says, is what captures visitors’ imaginations. After their tour, Welch Farm visitors filter in and out of a red barn, leaving with jams, jellies, and a better idea of what those iconic little berries mean to Maine.

They also add about $250 million to Maine’s economy each year.

“Part of our mission here at Welch Farm is to educate people about the wild blueberry,” Hanscom says. “If I have to do it one person at a time, I will.”

“ Wild blueberries are native to North America, and in any given field, there are going to be 1,000 different varieties.”

“Wild blueberries are native to North America, and in any given field, there are going to be 1,000 different varieties. They all look different, and they all taste different, and they’re all planted by Mother Nature, not us,” says Hanscom.

Hanscom isn’t alone in her mission to educate people about the wild blueberry. In fact, it’s a songbook the entire industry is singing from, spreading the word that wild blueberries are different from their farmed counterparts— containing twice the antioxidants, 70% more fiber, and higher concentrations of anthocyanins that can support eye, heart, and brain health.

Then there’s the undeniably romantic appeal of a plant that followed receding continued on page 4