Maine Archives - Page 253 of 298

Two Men Have Lobster Licenses Suspended for Six Years for Removing Eggs from Lobsters

December 14th, 2016 — The following was released by The Maine Department of Marine Resources:

The Commissioner of the Maine Department of Marine Resources has suspended the lobster licenses of two men for removing the eggs from female lobsters. The violation is a Class D crime which, in addition to license suspension, is punishable by up to a year in jail and fines in excess of $1,000.

The licenses of Dexter Bray, Jr., 36 of Stonington and Philip Poland, 42 of Cushing have been suspended for 6 years as a result of separate investigations conducted earlier this year by Maine Marine Patrol.

The Bray investigation, led by Marine Patrol Officer Rustin Ames, resulted in charges of removing the eggs of two female lobsters for which Bray is facing fines of up to $1,600 in addition to as much as a year in prison and the license suspension.

The crime came to light by an anonymous complaint received in the spring by Officer Ames that Bray was “scrubbing” lobsters, which is the act of artificially removing eggs from the underside of a female lobster’s tail.

Officer Ames followed up on the complaint and began an investigation that involved Marine Patrol Specialist Sean Dow. The investigation revealed that Bray had landed and attempted to sell two egg-bearing female lobsters at a lobster co-op in Stonington.

The Poland investigation, led by Marine Patrol Officer Brandon Bezio, resulted in charges of removing eggs from three female lobsters for which he faces up to a year in prison and fines up to $1,900 in addition to his license suspension.

This investigation also began with an anonymous complaint received during the summer. Officer Bezio followed up on the complaint and, with the help of Marine Patrol Officer Matthew Wyman, and Specialist Corrie Robert, determined that Poland had scrubbed the eggs from three lobsters in his possession.

“Scrubbing lobsters is one of the most serious violations of marine resource laws we see,” said Marine Patrol Colonel Jon Cornish. “By removing eggs to make a short-term monetary gain, criminals deny future generations of fishermen the opportunity those eggs represent. Just as important, they undermine the work law abiding harvesters do every day to sustain this important resource.”

“I’m extremely proud of the thorough investigation conducted by the Officers involved in these cases,” said DMR Commissioner Patrick Keliher. “These are very difficult cases to make and the Officers did an outstanding job bring this behavior to and end.”

Bray, who fished in lobster Management Zone C, was notified after a length of suspension hearing on November 2, 2016 with Commissioner Keliher that his license would be suspended for six years, allowing him to regain his license on May 19, 2022.

Poland, who fished in Zone D, was notified after a length of suspension hearing on November 15, 2016 with Commissioner Keliher that his license would be suspended for six years, allowing him to regain his license on July 8, 2022.

RICHARD NELSON: Maine lobstermen know the threat posed by climate change. Now is the time to act.

December 13th, 2016 — I rose the other morning and began my preparations to head out on the water from Friendship Harbor to take up the my last load of lobster traps. My thoughts turned from from closing out my season to chuckling over my selection of boots for the day. My dear wife had made a special trip to the attic a month and a half ago to bring down my insulated winter boots, and I became aware of the fact that, with temperatures again climbing to the mid-40s, they would remain unworn this year.

Many of the thoughts and decisions fishermen make are based on conditions in the environment in which we work. This is certainly not something new. Maine’s lobster industry, which is dependent on a healthy ocean and an abundant resource of lobsters, has a long established heritage of conservation. Our good management decisions of the past include throwing back both the large breed stock lobsters and small lobsters, putting escape vents in traps and returning egg bearing female lobsters into the water, marking them to ensure they are protected through future molts. We saw the need to set trap limits and become a limited access fishery, all the while remaining a small-boat, owner-operated fleet.

Although these choices have helped create a fishery that is flourishing while others are not, we face environmental challenges that are beyond local control and more complex than our marine management system can address.

Read the full op-ed at the Bangor Daily News

Overfished halibut under scrutiny as catch increases

December 13th, 2016 — Federal fishing regulators say they are looking to change the way they manage Atlantic halibut in the wake of a surge in catch of the fish.

The government lists Atlantic halibut as “overfished” and conservationists want to protect it. But many fishermen say the catch is up because the stock has been rebuilt over recent years.

East Coast fishermen caught more than 215,000 pounds of Atlantic halibut in 2015 in the most productive year of fishing for the flatfish since 1972. Catch of the fish in nearshore Maine waters is helping drive the increase, regulators say.

The regulatory New England Fishery Management Council decided last month to review management of halibut, which is popular with diners and chefs for its thick, meaty steaks. Exactly what form regulation changes could take isn’t yet known.

“We’ve identified that this is an issue, and this will be a priority for 2017,” said Janice Plante, a spokeswoman for the council.

The council has also asked that Maine’s state fishing managers adjust the way they oversee halibut. Part of the issue is that if fishermen exceed their quota for the fish, it can trigger restrictions on fishing that impact fishermen who operate in federal waters. About 40 percent of the halibut catch for the 2015 fishing year was taken in state waters, mostly in Maine.

Ben Martens, executive director of the Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association, said Maine should consider limiting the amount of halibut fishing in state waters. Otherwise, federal fishermen will be negatively affected by the surge in state catch, he said.

Read the full story at The Gloucester Times

Overfished halibut under scrutiny as catch increases

December 12th, 2016 — Federal fishing regulators say they are looking to change the way they manage Atlantic halibut in the wake of a surge in catch of the fish.

The government lists Atlantic halibut as “overfished” and conservationists want to protect it. But many fishermen say the catch is up because the stock has been rebuilt over recent years.

“We’ve identified that this is an issue, and this will be a priority for 2017,” Janice Plante, a spokeswoman for the council, said.

Read the full story at The New Bedford Standard-Times

New Net Aims to Help Maine Fishermen Land Fewer Cod

December 9th, 2016 — Some fishermen are pinning their hopes on a new kind of trawl net at use in the Gulf of Maine, designed to scoop up abundant flatfish such as flounder and sole while avoiding species such as cod, which regulators say are in severe decline.

For centuries, cod were plentiful and a prime target for the Gulf of Maine fleet. But in recent years catch quotas have been drastically reduced as the number of cod of reproductive age dropped perilously low, according to regulators.

For many boats, that turned the formerly prized groundfish into unwanted bycatch.

But, for fishermen, it can be tough to avoid cod while trying to catch other fish. And the stakes are high.

“Say tomorrow I go out, have a 10,000 set of cod and I only have 4,000 pounds of quota, essentially your sector manager — the person that oversees this — would shut me down,” says Jim Ford, whose trawler, the Lisa Ann II, is based in Newburyport, Massachusetts.

Not only that, Ford would be forced to “lease” cod quota allowances from other fishermen to cover his overage. The cost of such leases, he says, can quickly outweigh the value of the cod that’s inadvertently landed.

“And I would pay a ridiculous price. And then you’re shut down, you can’t even go fishing,” he says.

Read the full story at Maine Public Radio

MAINE: Winter 2017 shrimp cooperative sampling program

December 5th, 2016 — The following was released by the Maine Department of Maine Resources:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) and the DMR are seeking eight shrimp trawling vessels and captains to collect northern shrimp samples in three regions of the Maine coast (three vessels in Western ME, three in Mid-coast ME, and two in Eastern ME), beginning in mid- to late January, 2017, fishing once a week for eight weeks until mid- to late March. Each participant will be required to collect samples each week in one region, and will be allowed to land and sell up to 1,200 pounds of northern shrimp per trip. There will be no further compensation. Selection preference will be given to applicants using a size-sorting grate (designed to release small shrimp). Highest selection preference will go to applicants who will participate in a compound grate study.

In addition, we are seeking five shrimp trapping vessels and captains to collect northern shrimp samples in two regions of the Maine coast (four vessels in Mid-coast ME, and one in Eastern ME), beginning January 30, 2017, once a week, for eight weeks until March 26. Each trapper will be allowed to fish up to 40 traps each, hauled as often as necessary during the project. Participants will be allowed to land and sell up to 500 pounds of shrimp per week. There will be no further compensation.

The purpose of the project is to collect northern shrimp samples during the winter period when the shrimp are in inshore waters, to collect data on the timing of the egg hatch, and the size, gender, and developmental stage of the shrimp. We also hope to collect data on the performance of the compound size-sorting grate.

Please see the attached announcement for details on the project, how to apply, the application deadline (Dec. 19, 2016), and the selection process. Please contact me if you have trouble opening the attachments. This information is also available on our web site at http://www.maine.gov/dmr/science-research/species/shrimp/winter2017.html .

Maggie Hunter

Margaret Hunter, Webmaster and Marine Resource Scientist, Sea Urchin and Northern Shrimp programs

Margaret.Hunter@maine.gov

http://www.maine.gov/dmr/index.htm

Tel: (207) 633-9541

Fax: (207) 633-9579

Maine Dept. of Marine Resources (DMR)

PO Box 8

West Boothbay Harbor, ME 04575

Mercury Levels in Gulf of Maine Tuna on the Decline

December 5th, 2016 — There’s some good news for sushi lovers. A new report finds that over an 8-year period, mercury levels in Gulf of Maine tuna declined 2 percent a year — a decline that parallels reductions in mercury pollution from Midwest coal-fired power plants.

Two years ago, Dr. Nicholas Fisher, a professor of marine sciences at Stony Brook University in New York, had a bit of luck — he found out that a colleague had established a collection of 1,300 western Atlantic bluefin taken from the Gulf of Maine between 2004 and 2012.

“They were frozen, wasn’t the entire fish, just about a pound from each fish or so. And then my colleagues and I in New York dissected out muscle tissue from each sample and analyzed it to determine the mercury content of each fish,” he says.

And as they created a timeline for mercury content for each year, taking into account the age and size of each fish sampled, a clear picture emerged.

“There was a fairly steady decline for all ages of fish, and the decline rate was approximately 2 percent per year, which doesn’t sound all that dramatic, but over 10 years it’s about 20 percent. Over two decades its about 40 percent,” Fisher says.

Read the full story at Maine Public Radio

Maine Outdoor Heritage Fund Grant Strengthens Public Health Protection, Opportunity for Shellfish Industry

December 2, 2016 — The following was released by the Maine Department of Marine Resources:

A $32,000 grant from the Maine Outdoor Heritage Fund has strengthened Maine Department of Marine Resources’ ability to protect public health and preserve opportunity for Maine’s shellfish industry.

The funds will allow the department to purchase equipment to test for domoic acid, a naturally-occurring biotoxin that can cause serious health risks including amnesic shellfish poisoning (ASP). The equipment will be purchased and DMR staff trained during the upcoming winter months.

While phytoplankton species that cause domoic acid have been detected in Maine waters for years, 2016 was the first year the biotoxin was found in concentrations that could cause adverse health impacts.

Levels of domoic acid detected by DMR’s biotoxin monitoring program in September triggered closures of shellfish harvesting areas between Bar Harbor and the Canadian Border. The event lasted until mid-November when the final closed area was re-opened.

The process of testing for domoic acid involves routine phytoplankton sampling at established sites along the Maine coast throughout the year. The samples are analyzed under a microscope by DMR staff and trained volunteers. If cell counts of the phytoplankton, known as Pseudo-nitzschia, in the water samples reach established levels, a test known as the Scotia Rapid test is conducted to determine if domoic acid is present.

If test results are positive, shellfish sampling in the vicinity begins and shellfish samples are sent to Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences for further confirmation using a method known as high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC).

If the concentration of biotoxin in the samples reaches a level established by FDA as a baseline for regulatory action, 20 parts per million in the case of domoic acid, the area associated with the toxic shellfish is immediately closed.

“Our partnership with Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences continues to be invaluable,” said Maine DMR Public Health Bureau Director Kohl Kanwit. “We began working with Bigelow Bigelow Laboratory in 2014 to implement HPLC testing for red tide. As a result Maine was the first state in the nation to transition from using mice to test for biotoxins to the more precise HPLC method, which uses chemical analysis instead of live animals,” said Kanwit.

“By transitioning the biotoxin monitoring program to HPLC, DMR is able to respond more effectively to emerging biotoxin threats such as ASP.”

Before HPLC testing was available, the department had no way to test for domoic acid. Instead, notification of possible ASP contamination came to the department from health officials dealing with a potential ASP illness. FDA then tested samples, which could take up to ten days, during which large sections of the Maine coast were closed until results were returned.

In 2012, approximately 50,000 acres of shellfish harvest area on the Maine coast were closed as a precaution for nine days while FDA results were pending. Test results ultimately indicated there were no levels of concern and the areas were reopened.

“HPLC testing by Bigelow Lab was a major improvement for us and for industry,” said Bryant Lewis, the DMR Biologist who wrote the grant and will oversee the project. “The new equipment, which will be housed at the DMR lab in Boothbay Harbor, will further strengthen our ability to deal with this emerging biotoxin.”

Shellfish samples collected as part of the department’s routine biotoxin monitoring program will still go to Bigelow Laboratory for analysis of paralytic shellfish poisoning and diarrhetic shellfish poisoning.

However, samples from areas that are shown by DMR testing to have high Pseudo-nitzschia cell counts and to be positive for domoic acid can be tested immediately with the new DMR equipment. This eliminates the potential need for precautionary closures while waiting for test results from the lab.

“Our partnership with the Bigelow Laboratory enabled us to effectively monitor and manage the ASP event this summer and we will continue to partner with them for routine monitoring,” said Lewis. “This new equipment will improve Maine’s capacity to make rapid, scientifically sound management decisions that protect the health of Maine shellfish consumers while preserving opportunity for Maine’s shellfish industry.”

Coast Guard escorts four to safety after heavy winds, seas damage fishing boat off Portland, Maine

December 2nd, 2016 — The Coast Guard assisted four people to safety Wednesday after heavy winds and seas damaged a fishing boat about 40 miles southeast of Portland, Maine.

A fisherman aboard the Gracelyn Jane sent a distress hail to Coast Guard Sector Northern New England watchstanders Tuesday evening and reported their fishing boat was disabled with four people aboard. The man reported the crew lost their GPS, the boat was losing power, and their windows had shattered.

On scene weather at the time was 30 knot winds and 10-14 foot seas.

The 270-foot Coast Guard Cutter Northland, homported in Portsmouth, Virginia, was approximately ten miles from Gracelyn Jane’s location and quickly diverted from their patrol to help. A helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod also deployed to provide assistance.

After arriving on scene, Northland’s crew found the Gracelyn Jane regained power and made way toward shore escorted by the Coast Guard.

Once closer to shore, a response boat crew from Coast Guard Station Boothbay Harbor relieved Northland’s crew from their escort and accompanied Gracelyn Jane into Boothbay Harbor, Maine.

Read the full story at the Boothbay Register

MAINE: Scallop diving season about to start off of Maine coast

December 1, 2016 — PORTLAND, Maine — The season is about to begin for hearty souls who dive for scallops off Maine’s coast.

The diver season begins Thursday. The season for scallop fishermen who harvest their quarry using dragger boats gets underway on Monday.

Most of the state’s scallop catch is harvested by draggers, but dozens of divers also plunge into frigid waters to find the shellfish.

Maine’s scallop harvest has been growing in value along with the climbing value of scallops nationwide. Maine’s scallops were worth $12.70 per pound at the dock last year, which is the most in the state’s history. Price to consumers has also gone up.

The volume of the state’s harvest has been relatively steady, with divers and draggers bringing ashore more than 450,000 pounds of scallop meat for three straight years.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at WCSH