Mike Love, Owner and Captain of TITAN, at Portland Yacht Services, Recently. Contact him at: Lovefisheries@hotmail.com
The “BIg Brown Bat” is one of Eight Species in the Gulf of Maine Being Monitored by Bat Equipment Aboard the TITAN Last Year and This Year. It is a Hibernating Bat.
TITAN, the 66 ft. Steel Hulled, Ground Fishing Boat, is for Sale. for $550,00 Through a New Bedford, MA Dealer. TITAN is 25 Years Old and One of the Newer Ground Fishing Boats Around.
Any day now, TITAN, a fishing trawler turned research vessel, expects to be launched from its cradle at Portland Yacht Services to continue its mapping and bat montoring work begun last year in the Gulf of Maine.
Mike who is 62 years old has been fishing for ground fish for years now. He has decided its retirement time. Part of his decision is because he think’s the fishing industry is overly regulated. Additionally, more and more seafood is now purchased by large companies unlike his business. Mike also cites the warming of the Gulf of Maine that draws a different kind of fish to the area as a factor in his retirement plans.
Born into a fishing family in New Bedford, Massachusetts, he began lobstering at a young age. But he spent much of his adult life living here in Falmouth. Mike has a BS in marine science from Maine Maritime College in Castine.
Last year he submitted a competitive bid that he won with the State of Maine to map the bottom of the Gulf of Maine. That work will be turned into charts that will eventually be turned over to NOAA. The contract calls for 20 days at $5,000. a day. The state will provide its own crew and Mike will hire his crew on board TITAN for the duration of the contract.
Not only will TITAN be mapping the bottom of the Gulf of Maine again this season, but Biodiversity Research Institute. a Portland based company, will be monitoring bat activity in the Gulf of Maine for the second season.
The Gulf of Maine is home to eight spcies of bats. Last year during the monitoring period aboard the TITAN, three of the eight species were detected by the monitoring equipment. The farthest distance that bats were detected from shore aboard the TITAN was 35 miles.
The Biodiversity Research Institute wanted to identify bats that have the potential to interact with offshore wind development in the Gulf of Maine. That’s because insect eating bats like the ones in Maine, provide a significant pest-control service, saving the US Agriculture industry at least $3 billion a year. Bat detectors and ultrasonic microphones were installed on four vessels that made trips through the Gulf of Maine last year. The result of this monitoring will inform the development of best practices to reduce bat collision and displaement as a result of the construc:tion and operation of offshore wind farms in the Gulf of Maine.
“I was a bit of a skeptic on the offshore bat density monitoring. Now I”m thinking twice before I open the wheelhouse doors at night,” Mike said laughing recently.