The following was released by the Maine Department of Marine Resources
December 17, 2012 – In the wake of a year marked by record high landings and low boat prices in the lobster fishery, Maine Department of Marine Resources Commissioner Patrick Keliher will conduct a series of public forums to seek input into the state of the industry and recommendations for the future. The meetings were scheduled following the Department’s receipt of a report entitled, “An independent evaluation of the limited entry system for lobster and crab,” conducted by the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI), available on the DMR website.
The report, completed under a Request for Proposals issued by the DMR at the Legislature’s direction, provides a comprehensive evaluation of the existing limited entry fishery, as well as options and recommendations to address identified deficiencies in the current system. DMR is required to report back to the Legislature on the results of this study in January 2013.
“2012 has been quite a year in the lobster fishery,” said Commissioner Keliher. “Record high landings, low boat prices, Canadian processing constraints, and discussions about changing the state’s lobster marketing strategy have created both challenges and opportunities,” said Keliher. “Our goal at DMR is to engage industry in discussions about all of these issues as well as the topic of the limited entry system for entry and exit into the fishery.”
Commissioner Keliher stated, “I hope the report’s analysis will provide us all with a common understanding of what is happening in the fishery, and that it will foster a great deal of conversation about the future of the fishery. These meetings with members of the lobster industry and other interested parties will inform the development of a Department proposal for discussion with the Legislature. DMR will bring some concepts regarding the future of the licensing system to these meetings, and will be seeking input and feedback all along the coast.”
In an effort to make it easy for people to attend and participate, the Department has scheduled 16 meetings in January in coastal communities from York to Machias. Each meeting will have the same format, and it is not necessary to attend multiple meetings.
In the event of a meeting being cancelled due to bad weather, a cancellation will be posted on the DMR webpage and also aired on WCSH TV (Portland) and WLBZ TV (Bangor). The cancelled meeting will be rescheduled to a later date.