ELLSWORTH, Maine — March 29, 2013 — A year after catching state officials off guard by issuing 236 elver fishing licenses in the middle of elver season, the Passamaquoddy Tribe has issued more than twice that amount for 2013.
And in so doing, the tribe has exceeded the limit set by state law, according to Maine Department of Marine Resources Commissioner Patrick Keliher. For that reason, Keliher said Friday, the department is invalidating all but 150 of the 575 licenses issued by the tribe.
“Each of those licenses are numbered, so we are going in order,” Keliher said. Any tribal license numbered 151 or higher will be considered void by Maine Marine Patrol, he said.
As a result, starting at noon Sunday, anyone caught using a Passamaquoddy license numbered 151 or higher will be summoned on a civil charge and have their gear confiscated by marine patrol, he said.
During the 10-week season, which runs from March 22 through May 31, fishing is not allowed from noon Saturday to noon Sunday or from noon Tuesday to noon Wednesday.
On Friday, DMR received from the Passamaquoddys a list of tribal licensees with 575 names on it — several hundred more than the limit set for the tribe by state law, according to department officials.
Keliher said that by issuing 575, the tribe has put Maine out of compliance with elver fishing restrictions imposed by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission.
“The Passamaquoddys have jeopardized this entire fishery for the entire state,” Keliher said.
Read the full story at the Bangor Daily News