July 5, 2016 — PORTLAND, Maine — Maine regulators are considering intervening to help fix a bait shortage that threatens to affect its signature lobster fishing industry.
Lobstermen typically use herring for bait, and regulators and members of the fishing industry say there’s a shortage of them. The shortage is happening at the time of year when lobster catches usually start to pick up — and just as New England’s high tourist season is arriving.
The Maine Department of Marine Resources met Tuesday afternoon to discuss what role it can play. Meredith Mendelson, the deputy commissioner of the department, tells The Associated Press that it anticipates passing rules at a later date based on Tuesday’s discussion.
The problem is that not enough herring are being caught on Georges Bank, a key fishing area off Massachusetts, members of the fishing industry said. That means there could be heavy pressure on the inshore herring fishery, and they say fishermen could reach their quota for that area before the summer is out.
Read the full story from the Associated Press at the New Jersey Herald