American Notes MAINE

Lobstermen in Kennebunkport, Me., are boiling mad about special arrangements for one of the neighbors. They learned last week that the U.S. Coast Guard will enforce a 500-yd. "security zone" in the waters around George Bush's summer home on Walker's Point, site of some of Maine's best lobstering. Whenever the President is in residence, Coast Guard cutters will stop and search lobster boats seeking to enter the zone. Even more frustrating to the 40 or so lobstermen affected: the cutters' propellers tend to get snarled in the traplines, resulting in dozens of lost traps.

During his campaign for the White House, Bush promised that if his visits affected the lobstermen's livelihood, "I would not come here." But at a meeting with the aggrieved group last week, Coast Guard Captain R.W. ("Bud") Breault offered little hope that the rules would be relaxed. Some lobstermen, claiming that steering clear of the zone could cost them as much as $700 a week in lost catches, vow to continue placing traps in the restricted area.