PORTLAND (AP) – Lobstermen have searched for the perfect bait for as long as they’ve been catching lobsters.

Now the state wants to research some of those baits to determine their effect on lobsters, humans and the environment.

David Etnier, deputy commissioner of the Department of Marine Resources, said reports began surfacing last year that some lobstermen were using untreated pig, deer and moose hide and body parts as bait in their traps.

The state soon hopes to launch a study of animal parts; it is considering banning their use as bait until the study is completed. Officials also plan to examine the effects of processed cow hide treated in fish oil, which has been sold as a lobster bait for more than a decade.

Etnier said questions have been raised on whether hair from the hide products can end up in a lobster’s digestive tract.

“We have no indication that there is any adverse impact on human or animal health,” Etnier said. “But we want to err on the side of caution.”

Herring, a smelly and oily fish, is the bait of choice. But with fluctuations in herring supply and price, lobstermen have long sought alternative baits.

Finding a bait to a lobster’s liking isn’t an easy task. The prehistoric-looking crustaceans smell food through the hairs on their legs and body, and their teeth are located in their stomachs.

Over the decades, lobstermen have been known to put kerosene-soaked bricks, chicken parts, glowing lights and even loud-ticking watches in their traps to attract lobsters. In laboratories, researchers have experimented with cheese, chocolate and anise flavorings to see if lobsters go for them.

Most recently, reports emerged last year of some lobstermen using animal parts as bait, sold in buckets in local stores, Etnier said. At a DMR Lobster Advisory Council meeting last October, some members said they knew of moose hide and pig hide being sold in buckets full of blood.

Ads for the products have appeared in Uncle Henry’s weekly classified ad publication. A recent issue contains an ad for cut and salted moose hide lobster bait in 5-gallon pails.

Etnier said the attention on the issue has also brought to light that under Maine law, the use of artificial bait appears to be a form of littering.

The Lobster Advisory Council took the issue up again in January and voted to support a prohibition on the use of lobster bait that does not originally come from the ocean.

Larry Knapp, a lobsterman from Boothbay who is chairman of the advisory council, said most fishermen welcome lobster bait standards. He said consumers expect lobsters to be unsullied.

“Whatever we use for bait, the public should rest easy that it’s a pure natural product,” Knapp said.

But he doesn’t know of any lobstermen that use animal renderings for bait.

“I have to think it’s extremely rare, if it happens at all,” he said.

Bob Brown is a New Hampshire lobsterman and co-owner of Sealure North American LLC, a company that manufactures bait manufactured out of cow hide. He has thousands of Sealure customers and has never heard of any problems with the product.

Brown said the state is probably right to launch a study of animal renderings used as bait. “They’re using everything everything from moose and deer to road kill,” he said.

He also welcomes an overview of all types of lobster bait, Brown said.

“There needs to be some standards in the industry,” he said, “and we’ve asked to be part of it.”

Etnier said the state will use care in its assessment of alternative baits.

“We’re a little bit cautious about banning a product without good cause or research to back it up,” he said.

AP-ES-02-24-04 1555EST