Saving Seafood

Maine Marine Patrol Urges Safety Heading into Recreational Boating Season

May 23, 2016 — The following was released by the Maine Department of Marine Resources:

May 21 to 27 is National Safe Boating Week, and the Maine Marine Patrol wants to remind recreational boaters to stay safe while enjoying Maine’s waters.

“This summer, thousands of boaters will spend time with friends and family on Maine’s coastal waters, rivers and lakes,” said Maine Marine Patrol Colonel Jon Cornish. “As we near Memorial Day weekend, the unofficial start of the boating season, we want to remind people about safe boating practices.”

In Maine, all children 10 and under must wear a life jacket. Adults don’t have to wear them but they must be available on board for every occupant. “Life jackets do save lives,” said Colonel Cornish. “If you end up in the water unconscious for some reason, a properly-fitting life jacket will keep you afloat, which is especially important this time of the year when the water is still very cold. Life jackets should be looked over to make sure they are serviceable and have no rips, tears, broken straps or snaps that could make them ineffective.

“Before your first day on the water, go over your vessel and make sure you have proper safety equipment on your boat,” said Colonel Cornish. “In addition to life jackets, safe boaters should have working navigation lights, visual distress signals, sound signalling devices, VHF radio, cell phone, proper ventilation, and properly displayed registration numbers. A thorough check of fire extinguishers and flares should be done to make sure they’re in working order.

“It’s also a good time to take a boating safety course,” said Colonel Cornish. “The US Power Squadrons, a non-profit, educational organization that offers classes in seamanship, navigation and related subjects, and the Coast Guard Auxiliary both offer excellent public boating courses.”

Boaters should also be sure to file a float plan with a friend or relative. “It’s important to let someone know where you are going and your approximate time of return,” said Colonel Cornish. “Always make sure you check the local marine forecast before heading out on Maine’s coastal waters.

Another important safety issue to consider is drinking and boating. According to the most recent Coast Guard statistics, alcohol was the leading contributing factor in deadly boating accidents.

“People should be aware that the Marine Patrol has zero tolerance for boating under the influence,” explained Colonel Cornish.  “Alcohol use can be even more dangerous in a marine environment than on land. The motion, vibration, engine noise, sun, wind, and spray all accelerate and increase a drinker’s impairment. A boater becomes fatigued more quickly than a driver, which leads to a decline in the boater’s coordination, judgment, and reaction time, especially when under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

“Boaters under the influence are just like motorists under the influence – and we are going to prosecute those people who make the waters unsafe for the rest of us,” stated Colonel Cornish.

“The Marine Patrol will be working throughout the coming months to make sure boaters stay safe on Maine’s coastal waters.”

Maine Marine Patrol Receives Prestigious National Accreditation

May 20, 2016 — The following was released by the Maine Department of Marine Resources:

The Maine Marine Patrol has earned accreditation from the leading national safety organization for boat operations and training. The National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA) recently recognized the Marine Patrol for complying with its national standard of readiness for law enforcement and emergency response boat crews in the United States.

The Maine Marine Patrol became the thirteenth organization in the country to implement this standard in all aspects of their operations and training.

“This is a prestigious accreditation that recognizes the Maine Marine Patrol’s commitment to the highest standards of operation,” said Colonel Jon Cornish.

The Boat Operations and Training (BOAT) Program, established by NASBLA, is recognized by the US Coast Guard as the national standard for training and boat operation. “Agencies that choose to adopt this standard assure their ability to conduct missions on the nation’s waterways safely and effectively, and to operate seamlessly with federal, state, county, tribal and local maritime partners,” said Colonel Cornish.

Areas evaluated included training, documentation, safety and first aid, knowledge of knots and terminology, common crew tasks on large and small vessels, use of police and VHF radio, navigation, and operation of the Protector class patrol vessel, an extremely maneuverable rigid hull inflatable boat often used in search and rescue operations.

“I’m extremely proud of our Officers, Sergeants and Lieutenants for their adherence to this nationally recognized standard of operation,” said Colonel Cornish. “Coordinated by Sergeant Matt Talbot, the evaluation process to achieve this certification was extremely thorough. I appreciate Sergeant Talbot’s dedication to ensure that the Maine Marine Patrol achieved this important certification.”

“The citizens of Maine and of this country can be assured that this agency and its officers are true force multipliers and capable of inter-agency operations within our maritime homeland security and recreational boating safety framework,” said Mark R. Dupont, NASBLA’s Director of Boat Operations and Training.

Elvers and out: Fishing season likely to end early

May 18, 2016 — Last year, legislative haggling delayed the start of the elver fishing season, cold weather delayed the arrival of elvers in Maine streams and by the time the season closed at the end of May harvesters still had not landed the total allowable quota of baby eels.

This year, the season was extended for a week to give the fishermen a better shot of filling their quotas, but the elvers paid no heed to the extension and were among the earliest snowbirds returning to Maine. One result of their early arrival is that it is likely that the Department of Marine Resources will shut the fishing season down several weeks early because the federally mandated annual harvest quota has been filled.

Two years ago, at the behest of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, the state adopted a statewide 9,688-pound overall landings quota for the elver fishery. The Legislature further allocated that quota among harvesters licensed by DMR and harvesters from each of the state’s four recognized Indian tribes.

Read the full story at The Ellsworth American

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD: Warming Atlantic bodes poorly for lobster industry

May 13, 2016 — It doesn’t take a crystal ball to see one possible future for the Maine lobster industry. All it takes is a look south.

Warming water temperatures, the result of man-made climate change, have for decades been the primary factor in pushing the lobster population farther and farther north, first decimating the industry off the coasts of Rhode Island and Connecticut, then off Cape Cod.

And even though the industry has been booming in Maine, with record landings the last three years, the focal point of the catch has changed through the years, from Casco Bay to Penobscot Bay and, now, Down East, a signal of its vulnerability to change.

One of the state’s iconic industries, indispensable to and inseparable from so many communities, is being disrupted. The question is: How far will it go?

Fortunately, regulators are watching.

TAKING NOTICE

The Maine Department of Marine Resources will soon award contracts for studies exploring not only the full economic impact of the lobster industry, on which there is surprisingly little data, but also the impact of warming ocean temperatures on lobster biology and the ocean ecosystem in the Gulf of Maine.

Read the full editorial at the Portland Press Herald

Cod, haddock rules change

May 12, 2016 — AUGUSTA, Maine — The Maine Department of Marine Resources announced an emergency rule change for the recreational cod and haddock fisheries effective May 7.

In accordance with the New England Fisheries Management Council and for consistency with the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) federal regulations effective May 1, the department is enacting emergency rulemaking for charter, party and recreational fishing vessels operating in state waters regarding cod and haddock.

Read the full story at the Mount Desert Islander

Elvers catch outpacing last year’s

April 26, 2016 — Maine’s money-making elvers fishery, the only significant fishery in the U.S. for the baby eels, is having a much stronger year than in 2015 as favorable weather has allowed fishermen to capture their quarry.

Elvers are sold to Asian aquaculture companies and eventually become food, such as sushi. Much sought-after, they sometimes sell for more than $2,000 per pound, putting them among the most lucrative commercial fish species in the country.

Last year, fishermen caught less than 5,300 pounds of them against a quota of nearly 10,000 pounds. Fishermen, who seek the eels with nets in Maine’s rivers from late March to early June, have already caught more than last year’s entire catch.

“For us, it’s going well,” said Henry Bear, an elver fisherman on the Passagassawakeag River in Waldo County and the Maliseet tribal representative to the Maine House of Representatives. “Far more productive, and the fish are running good.”

Last year’s fishery was impeded by the lingering harsh winter weather. Fishermen this year have already caught more than 5,500 pounds, according to the Maine Department of Marine Resources.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at the Portland Press Herald

MAINE: State finalizes deal to preserve Tenants Harbor working waterfront

April 11, 2016 — TENANTS HARBOR, Maine — The state has finalized a deal to preserve a long-time commercial fishing wharf.

The Maine Department of Marine Resources obtained a working waterfront covenant March 11 on the wharf owned by the four Miller brothers — Hale, Ira, Dan and Peter — at 12 Commercial St. in Tenants Harbor.

The covenant means that the pier must be used for commercial fishing.

The brothers, all commercial fishermen, inherited the property from their parents in 2002. They undertook considerable improvements to the wharf, including adding four hydraulic hoists to increase efficiencies, according to a news release from Coastal Enterprises Inc. of Wiscasset. They also dredged in the area to provide access for loading bait and unloading catch regardless of the tide.

See the full story at the Bangor Daily News

Maine Marine Patrol Arrest Gardiner Man for Illegal Possession of Elvers

April 7, 2016 — The following was released by the Maine Department of Marine Resources:

The Maine Marine Patrol arrested Dana Wayne-Holmes, 61 of Gardiner on Saturday April 2 for illegal possession of elvers. Illegal possession of elvers is a criminal offense and is punishable by up to a year in jail and a $2000 fine.

Holmes was arrested in Waldoboro after an investigation by the Marine Patrol revealed that he was attempting to purchase and sell elvers without a license. Holmes held an elver dealer license in 2015, however he does not hold a current dealers license.

Also charged in the investigation was licensed harvester Irving Banks, 47 of Jefferson. Banks was charged with exceeding his individual elver quota, also a Class D crime punishable by up to a year in jail and a $2000 fine.

In addition to fines and jail time, Banks faces possible one-year administrative suspension of his current license while Holmes faces possible one-year suspension of his right to obtain a dealer license in the future.

“It is a privilege to have an elver license in Maine,” said Maine Department of Marine Resources Commissioner. “This is one of the most lucrative fisheries we have, and one that has required a great deal of work by the Maine DMR and law abiding members of industry to sustain and manage. I will use the full extent of my authority to investigate and bring to justice anyone who violates laws that help us protect this valuable fishery.”

The Marine Patrol investigation involved eight Marine Patrol Officers including Lieutenant Jay Carroll, Sergeant Russell Wright, Sergeant Rob Beal, Sergeant Matt Talbot, Specialist Matt Sinclair, Officer Brian Brodie, Officer Jon Luellen, and Officer Chris Hilton.  The Marine Patrol seized thirteen and half pounds of elvers from Holmes worth an estimated value of more than $18,000 based on per pound value at the time of the violation.

Dana Wayne-Holmes (Two Bridges Regional Jail)

Dana Wayne-Holmes (Two Bridges Regional Jail)

Maine scallop season winds toward closing

March 30, 2016 — ELLSWORTH, Maine — Friday is April Fools’ Day and the joke may be on Maine’s scallop fishermen, though they may be laughing all the way to the bank.

In December, the last month for which the Department of Marine Resources has released figures, dealers reported Maine scallop landings of 159,845 pounds with a boat price of about $13 to $14 per pound — just over $2 million in all for the month. Although the price was high, the reported December landings were the lowest since 2012.

Maine waters are divided into three scallop fishing zones and in two of them — along all of the coast except in Cobscook Bay way Downeast — the fishing season lasts until April 15. The question is whether there will be anyplace left to fish.

The 50-day season in Cobscook Bay, where harvesters have a daily limit of 10 gallons of shucked scallop meats, ended last Friday although, after the DMR implemented emergency closures on Whiting and Dennys bays in early February, only the sliver of water in the St. Croix River remained available to harvesters. Even in that area, fishing was limited to one day per week.

Read the full story at The Ellsworth American