PORTLAND — Scott Beede is one of 302 people on the waiting list for a Maine lobster license. By his calculations he'll be nearly 80 years old — or dead — by the time his wait is over.
Beede, 50, says the state's 15-year-old licensing system needs an overhaul to give newcomers like him a fair shot at getting a license to fish their own traps in Maine's lobster-rich waters.
In time, he may get his wish. The Department of Marine Resources expects to award a contract next month for the first top-to-bottom analysis of Maine's lobster licensing system. A final report with recommendations will be presented to the Legislature's Marine Resources Committee next January.
Read the complete story from The Portland Press Herald.