ROCKLAND, ME (March 2009) – "Never in a million years did I imagine I would leave the fishery at 46 years."
Craig Pendleton of Saco, who began lobstering when he was nine, groundfishing at 17. He sold his groundfshing permit in October 2008.
If an interim rule is passed by National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), the 70 fishermen who land groundfish in Maine face the possibility of further reductions in the number of days they can spend at sea (counted from the time they leave the dock) and numerous other restrictions. The rule includes a provision that would increase the two for one area, where each day a fisherman uses will be counted as two. For most Maine fishermen this would mean ending up with 20 allowable fishing days.
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