April 27, 2016 –PORTLAND, Maine — Federal regulators will soon release new rules for New England’s beleaguered cod fishery, including the role at-sea monitors will play.
At-sea monitoring is a controversial subject in the fishery because the government has shifted the cost of paying for monitors to fishermen. The monitors collect data that informs fishing regulations.
The new cod fishing season starts May 1, and the rules governing it are expected this week.
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
April 25, 2016 — A quandary over scallop rules has two groups of fishermen in Maine at odds over the increasingly lucrative shellfish.
Kristan Porter, 46, is an independent fisherman who catches lobsters for most of the year with his boat “Brandon Jay.” But for additional income, for five months each year, he and the two other men on his boat have begun collecting scallops.
But a larger than usual harvest of scallops this year in the northern Gulf of Maine and the competitive price that they demand has brought a larger number of boats than usual. Porter’s boat and others are limited to collect 200 pounds of scallops each trip until the boats reach 70,000 pounds. But other boats that have permits distributed in the 1990s are allowed to haul up to 40 million pounds within the 34 days they are permitted in the area.
The problem is exacerbated as the demand for scallops has evolved from just another mollusk to a delicacy in fine dining.
April 22, 2016 — Federal fishing regulators say potential changes to the rules that govern scallop fishing off of New England could be a priority in the coming years.
The rules are a source of tension as fishing boats move into the waters off the northern Massachusetts coast to seek scallops. Scallop grounds off of northern Massachusetts, including Cape Ann, have been especially fertile, prompting increased fishing in that area.
The New England Fishery Management Council passed a motion Wednesday that says changes to management of the northern Gulf of Maine fishing area will be a potential priority in 2017.
April 22, 2016 — SACO, Maine — You can learn a lot about the life cycle of certain types of fish by spending your time on the seas. As a small-scale, sustainable hook fisherman, I’ve certainly been able to learn a lot over my years. But more recently, some of what I’ve learned has me really scared.
Take herring, a fish that we see a lot of around New England. They make their way to inland rivers in the spring in order to spawn before heading offshore. The problem is, New England has had a huge problem with pollution in our waterways – and herring, at a very young age, are particularly susceptible to pollution. And what they take in could very well end up on your dinner plate.
The same is true with Atlantic salmon, a fish that was harvested here by Native Americans and Pilgrims hundreds of years ago – and that now is on the verge of extinction. Some will say that’s because of climate change, and that’s probably partially true. What they are missing is water quality.
April 22, 2016 — BIDDEFORD, Maine — A group of scientists say more Atlantic cod might survive being thrown back in the water by fishermen than previously thought.
Scientists from several organizations, including the New England Aquarium in Boston and University of New England in Biddeford, conducted a study. It’s published in the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea’s Journal of Marine Science.
Read the full story from the Associated Press at the Washington Times
April 21, 2016 — ELLSWORTH, Maine — With a magnetic swipe card system now in place, the Department of Marine Resources is able to track elver landings — or at least sales by harvesters to dealers — more or less as they occur in real time.
On Friday, DMR released totals, current through 5 p.m. on Thursday, April 14, for all elver purchases reported by licensed dealers from DMR and tribally-licensed harvesters.
As of the cutoff time, fishermen had landed a total of 2,932.39 pounds of elvers since the season began on March 22. That represents just over 30 percent of the 9,688-pound annual quota for all harvesters set by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission.
In the four days since the previous report, harvesters sold some 738 pounds of elvers to Maine dealers. Of that, harvesters licensed by DMR rather than by one of the state’s four recognized tribes landed 426.34 pounds. As of Tuesday morning, dealers were paying harvesters about $1,450 per pound for live elvers.
April 21, 2016 — Thirty-two lobsters. Taken off the same shore in one day, and it’s a grand start toward a summer feast.
But picked out over a long stretch of coast in an eight-year period? That hardly warrants an absent-minded mention at the dinner table, much less an international trade incident.
But that’s just where Sweden is taking its find, as the country seeks to ban all imports of live American lobster into the European Union’s 28 member nations.
The ban would be a $10 million annual hit to the pockets of Maine lobstermen – and roughly $150 million for the U.S. industry as a whole – all over a number of bugs that would have a boat captain cursing if it were one day’s haul.
Sweden’s proposal, backed by dubious science and questionable motives, is now in front of the EU, which should reject the ban, and tell Sweden to find a solution much more on scale with the problem.
April 20, 2016 — PORTLAND, Maine — Federal regulators and scallop fishermen are meeting to discuss how to regulate the industry in the northern Gulf of Maine.
Scallop fishing rules have caused tension in recent months as fishing boats have moved into the waters off the northern Massachusetts coast to seek scallops.
Read the full story from the Associated Press at the Seattle Times
April 19, 2016 — The following was released by NOAA:
Aging Infrastructure and Vulnerable Habitat
The Penobscot River Bridge in Howland and Enfield, Maine was built in 1946 and now needs to be replaced. The Penobscot River supports many types of sea-run fish including alewife, American shad, Atlantic salmon, and blueback herring. However, in the past, the river supported much higher numbers of these fish. The Penobscot River watershed is one of two Habitat Focus Areas in the Greater Atlantic Region. Through NOAA’s Habitat Blueprint Initiative, efforts are underway to improve fish passage and restore important fish habitats in the Penobscot River watershed. Bridge replacement can damage fish habitat or get in the way of fish trying to move past the bridge. The construction could threaten efforts to restore fish populations.
What do we do to protect habitat?
Bridge replacements can impact fish habitats both during and after construction. To protect important fish habitats including spawning and feeding areas, the Habitat Conservation Division reviews bridge plans and provides recommendations. We make sure that the construction and design of the bridge is done in a way that has the least amount of impact on fish habitats. During review of the Penobscot River Bridge replacement, we raised concerns about impacts to fish passing through the area. Due to our involvement, the amount of fill in the river was reduced, allowing more space for the fish to pass through during construction. Having enough space to swim through is important so that fish can travel to areas beyond the bridge where they spawn.
We work hard to make sure road and bridge projects avoid and reduce negative impacts to important fish habitats- both during and after construction. We recognize the need to balance the importance of maintaining our roads with the need to protect important aquatic habitats.
How will we address these types of projects in the future?
Besides reviewing bridge replacements like the Penobscot River project, we are working on techniques to improve the review process. Together with the Federal Highway Administration, we will improve coordination, increase our mutual understanding of issues and concerns, and reduce review and construction timeframes, while minimizing impacts to the environment.
We are creating guidance which describes each other’s roles and responsibilities during transportation project review. It includes a list of project information that transportation agencies need to provide to us and describes the steps taken during the review process. We are also working on a manual of best management practices for transportation agencies to use during their project planning. The manual explains the negative effects of certain actions on fish and their habitats and recommends ways to lessen those effects. The guidance and manual will benefit the transportation agencies and us, as well as the fish and the habitats we care about.