Saving Seafood

Maine DMR Strongly Encourages Online License Renewals before July 16, When Transition to New, More Efficient System Begins

June 22, 2015 — The following was released by the Maine Department of Marine Resources

The Maine Department of Marine Resources encourages all current license holders planning to renew their license online to do so before July 16, 2015 when the DMR begins transitioning to a new, more efficient system. After July 16, license holders will need to use paper applications or wait until September to purchase a license or permit with the new online system.

Known as LEEDS (Licensing, Enforcement and Environmental Data System) the new system will provide easy-to-use online tools for license application, renewal, and landings reporting. Available 24-hours-a-day, the system will allow new information to be automatically integrated so license holder data is always up to date.

“This inconvenience to our customers will be temporary, lasting less than 60 days,” said Department of Marine Resources Commissioner Patrick Keliher. “It was cost prohibitive to run two systems simultaneously, so we have timed the transition to occur during our slowest license sales period of the year.”

Starting July 16, 2015, the DMR will begin the transition by temporarily disabling the current online license renewal system.  To avoid any inconvenience, DMR is urging all current license holders who renew their license online to do so before July 16, 2015.

Customers and license holders should be aware that the DMR Licensing Division office at 32 Blossom Lane, Augusta will be closed on July 9, 10, and 20, 2015 as the agency transitions from the old system to the new Maine LEEDS system.

New license applications will continue to be available only on paper during the transition, from July 16, 2015 until the new system is launched.   DMR will accept paper license renewals either in person at the Augusta office, or by mail.  Applications can be found on line athttp://www.maine.gov/dmr/license/index.htm.

License renewals and new applications will be available through the new LEEDS system after DMR has conducted internal testing in the coming months. DMR will communicate directly with license holders when the system launch date is confirmed, and will include links to the new online LEEDS system.

Jonah crabs booming in value as managers seek fishery plan

June 22, 2015 — PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — New England lobstermen are catching and selling more of a long-overlooked crab species in their traps, leading regulators to try to craft a management plan for the fishery before it becomes overexploited.

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission is working on regulations for Jonah crabs, a species common along the Eastern Seaboard that is rapidly growing in market share as an economic alternative to more expensive Dungeness and stone crabs. The crabs are popular with diners and cooks alike for their meaty claws and as a low-cost source of processed crab meat.

Jonah crab catch increased sixfold from 2000 to 2013, with fishermen catching nearly 7,000 metric tons two years ago, federal data show. The crabs also increased more than 700 percent in value in that time, with the fishery worth nearly $13 million in 2013.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at The Washington Times