News Management & Regulation Maine Department of Marine Resources contests federal shrimp gear mandate |
Maine Department of Marine Resources contests federal shrimp gear mandate |
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ELLSWORTH, Maine — Though they already face reduced catch limits and
fewer fishing days, some Maine shrimp fishermen might also have to use
certain gear modifications when they trawl for the crustacean, according
to officials.
But Patrick Keliher, acting commissioner of Maine’s Department of Marine Resources, said Wednesday that he hopes to convince federal officials to make shrimp boats exempt from the gear requirement, which also applies to groundfish vessels. The rule requires shrimp trawlers in the far western Gulf of Maine to use 12-inch “rock hopper” bumpers on their nets, which are designed to keep fishing nets from getting caught on rocks or in soft ocean bottom. Keliher said he learned in late December, only days before the Gulf of Maine shrimp season started on Jan. 2, that federal regulators were planning to enforce the rule this season. He sent a letter Dec. 30 to the regional National Marine Fisheries Service office in Gloucester, Mass., asking federal regulators to delay enforcement of the rule until next winter. “Adding this new requirement to the industry and to the state managed fishery process at the eleventh hour is unacceptable,” Keliher wrote in the letter. Read the complete story from Bangor Daily News
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HASTINGS: Time to improve the Endangered Species Act
May 18, 2012 - When the Endangered Species Act (ESA) was signed into law in 1973 by President Nixon, he spoke about the importance of preserving “the rich array of animal life with which our country has been blessed.” I believe that goal is as important today as it was back then. However, after nearly 40 years, it’s time to take a fresh, honest look at the law and consider whether there are ways it could be improved to do a better job of protecting and recovering species.
