lobsters Archives - Page 23 of 30

RHODE ISLAND: Fisheries Face Climate Peril, Aging Fleet

November 23, 2016 — As the guest speaker at Seamen’s Church Institute’s annual meeting on Monday, Nov. 14, Newport’s David Spencer, a lobsterman and president of the Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation, reviewed the state of the commercial fishing industry in Rhode Island.

Spencer has run his 85-foot lobster boat Nathaniel Lee out of Newport’s State Pier since 1973, and graciously supplies free lobsters for Seamen’s annual Rock the Docks fundraiser.

“Back then, this was a vibrant fishing port, from south to north. It had many boats that docked here,” he said. “It was a good place to fish out of.”

Spencer said that all three Newport fish houses at that time had traps off Ocean Drive, near mooring docks that would be “awash in fish” with an almost daily, intricate choreography of dockworkers sorting and loading them all into trucks. “It was something to behold,” he recalled.

According to Spencer, present-day fleets gather quahogs, lobster, crabs, conch and a little known kind of shrimp in these waters. “It’s been a good opportunity for fishermen with smaller 20-foot boats,” with trawlers catching squid, butterfish, flounder, herring, black sea bass, and more. Improved netting allows turtles, cod, and other illegal species to escape.

Working “out front” in Rhode Island Sound waters and beyond, the lobster and crab fishery becomes one, “with an explosion of Jonah crabs, which has been a godsend for much of the fleet,” said Spencer. “There is a tremendous demand for these crabs,” which augment a depleted annual lobster catch.

Read the full story at Newport This Week

Recreational fishermen push for pots off reefs

November 18, 2016 — A couple lobster men spoke their opposition to any plan that would deny them use of the ocean floor.

Greg DiDomenico, the head of the commercial fishing trade group Garden State Seafood Association, said he didn’t doubt the existence of gear conflicts on the reefs but would like to see a compromise made instead.

“All we really want is some resolution to this problem other than a complete prohibition,” he said.

The group suggested before that the reefs should be divided among users groups: three reefs for divers, six for recreational fishermen, and three for commercial fishermen. One reef would remain as a scientific no take zone.

Read the full story at the Asbury Park Press

New Lobster Trap Technology Could Reduce Whale Entanglements

November 14, 2016 — WOODS HOLE, Mass. — More and more whales are becoming snarled in fishing gear, often dying slow, painful deaths.

Two Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) engineers have invented a lobster trap device that they say could help whales avert entanglements and, at the same time, might allow currently restricted waters to be safely reopened for lobster fishing.

In New England’s offshore lobster fishery, long vertical ropes or “lines” connect the traps on the bottom to floats on the water’s surface, so fishermen can locate their trawls and drag them back up.

The new device is called the “on-call” buoy and floats near the bottom attached to lobster traps.

Read the full story at CapeCod.com

Lobstermen, scientists concerned about sea level, temperature rise

November 10, 2016 — PORTSMOUTH, N.H. — Lobstermen and scientists are concerned about rising sea temperatures and sea level rise in the state’s Seacoast region.

U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-New Hampshire, went out on a lobster boat out of Portsmouth harbor Aug. 30 to talk to fisherman about concerns they have for the potential for temperature rise in the waters and how it could impact the state’s prized, $23 million a year fishery.

Waiting for her on the dock as she returned were officials from the Rockingham County Planning Commission to discuss a related issue: sea level rise and its impacts on the seacoast.

The two go hand in hand because they are both linked to climate change.

The largest high tide of the year, the King Tide, is expected on New Hampshire’s seacoast Nov. 15.

It will give residents a glimpse into the future, where high water could be the norm. Hopefully, there will not be a weather event late that morning which would possibly impact low-lying structures.

Scientists predict that the average high tide in New Hampshire could rise by two feet in the next 35 years and be six feet higher by the year 2100 due to climate change.

These tides could damage homes, infrastructure and the tourist economy of the state.

Both Shaheen and her Republican counterpart, U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-New Hampshire, together worked successfully last month to fight off an effort by Sweeden to ban the import of the American lobster. The European Union rejected Sweden’s request on Oct. 14.

Read the full story at WMUR

ASMFC lobster board tackles fishery issues

November 8, 2016 — BAR HARBOR, Maine — The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s lobster board adopted no new policies affecting Maine lobstermen during its annual meeting in Bar Harbor at the end of October, but the group did discuss future options for trip reporting, crab bycatch and improving the lobster stock in Southern New England.

The board relies on data from dealer and harvester reporting to make management decisions.

“The technical committee (which provides scientific advice to the management board) highlighted data deficiencies in federal waters,” Fishery Management Plan coordinator Megan Ware said.

Most state fishery departments conduct their own lobster surveys, such as the Department of Marine Resources settlement survey, ventless trap survey and sea sampling program. But each state is different.

“States are collecting a variety of this information, but it’s not uniform,” Ware said.

Offshore waters — beyond the three-mile limit — have become an increasingly important part of the fishery and they are outside the scope of the state programs.

Read the full story at the Ellsworth American

Illegal fishing fears prompt 2-tag plan for lobster traps

November 7, 2016 — A proposal intended to curb costly trap wars would require Maine lobstermen to put two tags on traps they set outside their licensed fishing territory.

Right now, every trap that is set along Maine’s 3,500-mile coast must have at least one tag, which identifies the fisherman who owns it. That 50-cent tag is the primary enforcement tool the Maine Marine Patrol uses to make sure a lobsterman is hauling only his or her own traps.

Under state rules, Maine lobstermen can set up to 49 percent of their traps outside of their home fishing zone. In two zones along the coast, where fishermen are competing hardest for prime ocean bottom, lobstermen are already required to put second tags on traps dropped outside their home zone. Now, the Maine Department of Marine Resources wants to extend double-tagging to all seven lobster zones to make it easier to catch lobstermen who are fishing too many traps outside their zone.

“It’s a big ocean,” said Maj. Rene Cloutier of the marine patrol. “We know our waters, but we only have so many hands, and so much time. Without double-tagging, (enforcement) is an all-encompassing thing.”

That’s because without a second tag requirement, the marine patrol would have to haul more than 392 traps in one day to prove a fisherman with the maximum 800 allowable traps had broken the so-called 49/51 rule, said Cloutier. The agency has done just that, Cloutier said, but it takes a lot of time and manpower – two or three officers on two or three boats – and fishermen know that.

With the second tag, a patrol officer only has to check a handful of lines, and if the traps are properly tagged, it’s a strong indication that the lobsterman is complying with regulations.

Read the full story at the Portland Press Herald

Cold-water shrimp industry poised for shutdown to continue

November 7, 2016 — PORTLAND, Maine — Maine shrimpers are all but resigned to another year of being unable to pursue their quarry in the Gulf of Maine, with a regulatory board set to decide this week whether to allow a season this winter.

Maine shrimp are fished in the Gulf of Maine and were a popular winter seafood for years, but regulators shut the fishery down after a collapse during the 2013 fishing season, and it has remained closed since. The shrimp have struggled to rebuild populations as waters have warmed.

A board of the regulatory Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission is set to decide Thursday whether fishing will be allowed this year. A committee of scientists has advised the board it’s not a good idea, with temperatures off New England inhospitable to the shrimp.

Spencer Fuller, a shrimp and lobster buyer with Cozy Harbor Seafood in Portland, said his company was once the largest processor of Maine shrimp in the country and has suffered. He said that he is prepared for another year of closure, but that it will send residual troubles through Maine’s seafood industry.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at the Seattle Times

MAINE: Two Men Charged with Lobster Theft

November 1, 2106 – The following was released by the Maine Department of Marine Resources:

Two men have been charged with theft after a month-long investigation by the Maine Marine Patrol revealed they stole lobsters from two dealers.

Troy J. Woodman, 34 of Warren and Shane Hall, 29 of Portland have both been charged. Woodman was arrested by Marine Patrol Sergeant Robert Beal Monday, October 17 and taken to Cumberland County Jail.

Hall is currently in Knox County Jail facing a total of six other charges including aggravated assault and kidnapping for allegedly forcing a woman into his car as she walked home in Rockland in late September.

The Marine Patrol investigation revealed that the two men stole lobsters from Quahog Lobster in Harpswell. According to Marine Patrol reports, the thefts took place between late-September and mid-October.

The thefts were uncovered through surveillance conducted by Marine Patrol Officers Rebecca Kavanaugh and Christopher Hilton as well as Sergeant Beal.

“We take cases like this very seriously,” said Marine Patrol Colonel Jon Cornish. “Theft of this magnitude deprives hard working, law abiding Mainers of their livelihood and undermines our coastal economy. I’m very proud of the Officers and Sergeant for their thorough investigation.”

Woodman has been charged with one count of Class C Theft for allegedly stealing lobsters from Quahog Lobster on September 17. Additional theft charges against Woodman are expected for thefts that occurred at Quahog Lobster on September 24, 25, 27, and October 6, and at Maggie’s Seafood in South Bristol on October 9 and October 16.

Hall has been charged with one count of Class D Theft and one count of Class C theft for allegedly stealing lobsters from Quahog Lobster on September 25 and 27.

A total of 19 crates filled with lobster were allegedly stolen by the two over the course of the seven days. The estimated value of the stolen lobster and crates exceeds $9,000.

In Maine Class C crimes carry a penalty of up to 5 years in jail and a fine of $5,000 while Class D crimes are punishable by up to 364 days in jail and a fine of $2,000.

An investigation into the sale and purchase of the stolen lobsters is on-going.

MAINE: Operation Game Thief Offers $15,000 Reward for Information on Lobster Trap Cutting Incidents

October 31st, 2016 — The following was released by the Maine Department of Marine Resources:

An escalation of trap cutting incidents in recent weeks along the line that separates Maine’s lobster zones B and C has prompted a $15,000 reward from Operation Game Thief for information that will help Marine Patrol in its investigation.

“This has been going on since early summer but in recent weeks we have received numerous reports of traps being cut along the B/C line, and the possibility of these incidents continuing to escalate has prompted me to approve additional Marine Patrol assets including overtime and vessels to support investigations into these incidents,” said Maine Department of Marine Resources Commissioner Patrick Keliher.

“While these incidents are territorial disputes among a few harvesters, I will take whatever action is necessary to bring a stop to these violations, including closing the area associated with these incidents,” said Keliher. “I don’t want to take an action that could potentially penalize law abiding harvesters, but I am committed to preventing this from escalating even further.”

“This trap war is without a doubt the most costly loss of gear I have witnessed in my 32 year career with the Maine Marine Patrol,” stated Colonel Jon Cornish. “In this instance gear loss is estimated to far exceed $350,000 dollars. Trap molesting is a serious offence with the potential for multiple year license suspensions. We are working hard to investigate these incidents and are grateful for the support of the Operation Game Thief program.

Lobster Zone B extends from Schoodic Point to Newbury Neck while Zone C stretches from Newbury Neck to Cape Rosier.

“Maine’s lobster industry has a long-standing commitment to responsible harvesting practices and the marine resource laws that ensure opportunity for so many in Maine,” said Operation Game Thief Board Chairman Greg Sirpis. “So when the actions of a few threaten the livelihood of those fishing within the law, the OGT Board of Directors will step up. The Maine OGT Board of Directors hopes this significant reward will prompt someone to come forward with information that will bring these violators to justice.”

This investigation is on-going. Anyone with information is encouraged to call the Operation Game Thief Hotline at 1-800-253-7887 (1-800-ALERT-US); out of state callers dial 1-207-287-6057. Information can also be provided through the OGT online Tip Reporting Form at http://www.maineogt.org/report.php. Information provided by phone or the Tip Reporting Form can be provided anonymously.

Interstate lobster conservation plan up for key vote soon

October 20, 2016 — BAR HARBOR, Maine — Interstate fishing managers will vote next week on whether to send a proposal to try to rebuild the southern New England lobster population out for public comment.

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission has been working on new management measures to try to preserve lobsters in the waters of southern New England.

The commission is meeting on Oct. 27 in Bar Harbor, Maine, to decide whether to send the management proposal to the public for consideration.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Times