February 11, 2022 — The number of Maine fishermen who can catch menhaden — more commonly called pogies in Maine — could soon be limited to only those who have historically gone after the increasingly important baitfish.
The state Department of Marine Resources submitted a proposal to the state legislature that would, starting in 2023, only allow fishermen to obtain commercial menhaden licenses if they’ve held the license in one of the last six years and caught at least 25,000 pounds of pogies during one of those years.
The bill, which was heard by a legislative committee earlier this week, has sparked a debate over who should be allowed to catch the small, oily fish.
Menhaden are schooling fish that can be found up and down the east coast. Maine lobstermen have started to rely on them as bait in the last few years as herring quotas have been cut and some have invested in expensive gear to fish for them themselves.
Read the full story at the Bangor Daily News