Lobsterman Michael Duane gets by without a paycheck for two-and-a-half months each year, but he says going much longer than that would be difficult.

Duane could face that reality next winter, as new regulations set by the National Marine Fisheries Service ban the use of lobster trap and pot gear from Jan. 1 to April 30 off much of the state’s coast. The measure aims to eliminate whale entanglements with lobster gear.

“That would be 15 percent of my income. It’s unreasonable what they’re asking us to do, and as far as I know, no lines in that area have been entangled with a whale yet,” said Duane, president of the Marshfield Commercial Fishermen’s Association. “There’s the possibility for entanglements. Well, there may be an accident on the highway, but we still drive on them.”

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