Maine Archives - Page 256 of 298

Rebound seen for popular lobster bait fishery

November 9th, 2016 — Commercial fishermen can breathe a sigh a relief, as interstate fishing regulators say that the population of menhaden, a fish only topped by herring as the most popular type of bait for Maine’s lobster industry, continues to be healthy.

According to the Associated Press, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission is reporting that menhaden fishery isn’t experiencing overfishing and continues to reproduce at a healthy rate. Atlantic Menhaden Board Chairman Robert Ballou added that the healthy population levels will give regulators a chance to reevaluate how to manage the fishery, which is typically worth more than $100 million annually, the AP reported.

The good news about the menhaden population comes on the heels of Maine’s menhaden fishery being closed by regulators for a week and a half in August, following reports that the annual landings quota for Maine, Rhode Island and New York, had been exceeded.

Read the full story at Mainebiz

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

Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission likely to keep Gulf of Maine shrimp fishery closed

November 8, 2016 — 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 it 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.

“All you have to do is look back to the history of shrimp here in the state of Maine and the contributions it has made over the last 60 years,” Fuller said. “It’s a big deal not only for us, but for the wharfs we deal with, markets we deal with.”

Read the full story at the Portland Press Herald

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.

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

Regulators say menhaden, a key ocean fish, in good shape

November 7, 2016 — PORTLAND, Maine — Interstate fishing regulators say prospects are good for menhaden, a fish that is critical to the health of the ocean.

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission says menhaden are not experiencing overfishing and their reproduction is good. The commission says the amount of menhaden that die from fishing operations is well below targeted levels.

Atlantic Menhaden Board Chair Robert Ballou says the stock’s good condition gives regulators an opportunity to reevaluate how to manage the fish.

Menhaden are an important source of bait for commercial fishermen and they are also a critical piece of the ocean’s food web. They’re also used to make dietary supplements.

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

Presentations and Audio Files from Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commision’s 75th Annual Meeting Now Available

November 4, 2016 — The following was released by the ASMFC:

The presentations and audio files from the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s 75^TH Annual Meeting are now available at http://www.asmfc.org/home/2016-annual-meeting; go to the relevant board header and click on either “Presentations” or “Audio.”

MAINE: Regional Ocean Plan Likely to Be Approved by Thanksgiving

November 4, 2016 — The Northeast Ocean Plan will be the first coordinated ocean strategy of its kind in the country when it is adopted by the National Ocean Council. That is likely to happen before Thanksgiving.

The Ocean Plan will not create new laws, regulations or penalties, but it will increase oversight of the area between the high-tide zone to 200 miles out to sea while coordinating 140 federal laws that regulate ocean activities in the Northeast.

That sounds overwhelming. It isn’t. The heart of the new plan is an easy-to-use data mapping tool that shows which laws apply to an activity or location and which agencies oversee them. Different uses, habitats, shipping lanes, infrastructure and more can be layered on one map to identify jurisdiction and potential conflicts.

The regional plan was developed in response to the 2010 Executive Order on Ocean Policy which requires better coastal and ocean management. Members from six Northeastern states, ten federal agencies, ten tribes and the New England Fisheries Management Council formed the Northeast Regional Planning Body (RPB) to help craft it.

The goal is to coordinate planning based on regional information, even as the ocean environment and marine uses change. Improving and understanding marine life and habitats and ecosystem-based management are important guiding principles.

The Northeast states, which already have a history of working together on fisheries issues, started work on the ocean plan in 2012. The final draft was released for review October 19, making the Northeast Region the first in the country to complete a regional plan.

The Northeast RPB sought public and scientific input through hundreds of informal gatherings and public meetings over the past four years while drafting the plan. Part of their research included going to fishing wharves and small towns to get input. Planners incorporated the public comments and their responses into the final plan.

If the Northeast Ocean Plan is approved later this month as expected, implementation will soon follow. The Northeast Ocean Data Portal, which allows instant mapping of different ocean values and uses based on peer-reviewed data, makes it easy to identify where interests overlap and which agency has jurisdiction.

Read the full story at The Free Press Online

MAINE: Bowdoinham Man Charged with Boating Under the Influence after Driving onto Kennebec River Island

November 3, 2016 – The following was released by the Maine Department of Marine Resources:

Douglas Stevenson, 44 of Bowdoinham has been charged with operating a watercraft under the influence as a result of a boating accident in the early morning hours of October 30 that left two women seriously injured.

Marine Patrol Officer Clint Thompson responded to the accident, which was reported just after midnight. Other responding agencies included Dresden Fire Department, Gardiner Fire Department and Sagadahoc County Sheriff and Richmond Police Department.

According to Marine Patrol reports, Stevenson was operating his 29-foot Four Winns power boat heading north in the Kennebec River when the boat ran aground near the south end of Swan Island. Initial investigation by the Marine Patrol indicates he was travelling at a high rate of speed.

According to Marine Patrol Officer Thompson, there were three passengers on-board, two of whom received serious but non-life threatening injuries. They were Krista Hurst, 41 of Birmingham, Michigan and Lesia Tatarsky, 37 of Warren, Michigan.

All individuals were rescued by Dresden Fire Department, paramedics from Gardiner Fire Department and Sagadahoc County Sheriff Corporal Ian Alexander. The injured were transported to Mid Coast Hospital in Brunswick by Gardiner Rescue.

Marine Patrol Officer Thompson transported Stevenson to Richmond Police Department where he charged him with operating a watercraft under the influence.

Stevenson’s blood alcohol level several hours after the accident was .16, which is double the legal limit. Boating under the influence is a criminal violation in Maine with penalties that include a fine and imprisonment.

“This is a serious incident that underscores the importance of boating sober,” said Marine Patrol Colonel Jon Cornish. “Operating a watercraft on Maine’s waterways is challenging enough but when operators are intoxicated and traveling at night, it can be a recipe for disaster.”

The accident investigation continues and additional charges may be coming.

PHOTO CAPTIONS:

Douglas Stevenson’s boat after it went aground on Swan Island in the Kennebec. (Photos courtesy of Maine Marine Patrol)

Douglas Stevenson’s boat aground on Swan Island. (Photo courtesy of Ed Friedman, Point of View Helicopter Services)

Lobster board tackles fishery issues

November 3, 2016 — BAR HARBOR, Maine — No new policy affecting local lobstermen was handed down from the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s lobster board from its meeting here last week, but the group discussed 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 highlighted data deficiencies in federal waters,” lobster fishery management plan (FMP) coordinator Megan Ware said.

Most state fishery departments conduct their own lobster surveys, such as Maine’s settlement survey, ventless trap survey and sea sampling program. But offshore waters are an increasingly important part of the fishery, and they’re outside the scope of those programs.

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

The board’s lobster reporting working group presented short, medium and long-term goals to improve data collection. Current rules require 100 percent dealer reporting and at least 10 percent active harvester reporting.

The working group said that 10 percent includes recreational fishermen and recommended switching to only commercial harvesters. They would need 30 percent of active harvesters reporting to have statistically valid information. It also would be helpful to managers if they had data about trap hauls, soak time and gear configuration.

Read the full story at the Mount Desert Islander