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L A N D I N G S
NEWS & VIEWS FROM MAINE'S LOBSTERING COMMUNITY
In January 2013, the MLCA launched Landings, a monthly newspaper which balances
its content amongst science, history, resource sustainability, economic development,
and human interest stories. Through Landings, MLCA educates the public and lobster
industry stakeholders about the unique characteristics of Maine’s lobstering traditions,
its history and heritage, ongoing research to maintain the sustainability of the resource,
and its non-harmful and non-wasteful commercial fishing practices.
Distributing more than 6,500 copies of this 24+page publication free via mail each
month to all of Maine’s commercial lobstermen, state government agency staff, elected
state officials, Congressional delegation, subscribers, marine businesses; and to the
public at various locations around the state including ferry terminals, marine supply
stores and annual educational forums.
Cold Water, Copepods Early Warnings of Right Whale Presence
By Julia Tilton, Maine Monitor. Reprinted with permission Karen Stamieszkin, a senior research scientist at Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, was out on the Gulf of Maine three years ago when she saw red pooling in different directions beneath the waves: a large spring bloom of plankton. “You could see these plumes of this fat, rich copepod population right at the surface,” said Stamieszkin, referring to a type of tiny crustacean. “That is what drives the Gulf of Maine’s
Mar 33 min read
Boats of 2025 : Two Veteran Lobstermen, Two Different Approaches
By Brian Robbins 2025 saw a mix of projects in Maine’s boatbuilding shops –new boats and older boats reborn (refurbished and/or repowered), boats targeted at fishing up in the bays, and bigger hulls built to run off outside. Hutchinson Composites adds a 4' extension to their 42'x15' model to create the Mussel Ridge 46 hull. Two of the fleet’s new additions were for veteran lobstermen who have put in their time on the water, paid their dues, and aren’t ready to hang up their o
Mar 34 min read
To Your Health: How to stay safe when you fish alone
By Ann Backus, MS Maine has a variety of fisheries. Those who fish for lobster, clams, and who practice aquaculture are more likely to fish alone than those in the scallop or multispecies fisheries. These fisheries are often managed by sole proprietors, i.e., involve self-employed fishermen. Single-handed fishermen use various sizes of boats, but generally fish within three miles of shore. Lobster Institute Photo. In these fisheries, less complicated fishing gear means a pers
Mar 34 min read
US-Canada Lobster Town Meeting Focuses on Management, Trade and Lobster Tagging
By Chris Brehme, Lobster Institute More than 200 people took part in the 2026 US-Canada Lobster Town Meeting in Moncton, New Brunswick, in January. Attendees included representatives from more than a dozen lobster fishing associations, along with more than thirty seafood and marine industry companies, and many non-governmental organizations, government agencies, and universities. Hosted by the University of Maine’s Lobster Institute, the meeting brought fishermen from as far
Mar 33 min read
Steaming Ahead | March 2026
In this world of instant gratification, it is frustrating to have your livelihood forever linked to a policy arena where meaningful change may take years — sometimes decades — to materialize. Unfortunately, fisheries management was never designed for quick wins. It is a complicated and cumbersome process complete with procedural hurdles that make flexible, responsive solutions difficult to achieve. Whether the MLA is engaging with Congress, the National Marine Fisheries Servi
Mar 34 min read
Maine Lobstermen's Association Update | March 2026
MLA Directors Meeting Summary The MLA Board of Directors met on February 11. The board welcomed representatives from Seascale Maine, a company that develops aquaculture gear for lobstermen that can be integrated into normal fishing operations to create a new revenue stream. They developed the Maine scallop pot, which looks much like a traditional lobster trap but has four stacked trays inside to grow scallops. The board asked many questions and overall thought the concept was
Mar 37 min read
Your Help Needed For Socio-Economic Survey
Did you get a text about the Maine Lobster Economics Survey? It’s real, not spam. The MLA has heard lobstermen say the cost of lobstering has gone up and you’re struggling to make a living. We really need to collect this information, so we hope you will consider participating. The survey will be open until March 31 and can be done online using your computer, tablet, or smartphone, or by phone interview. It will take about 30 minutes. You must be at least 18 years old and have
Mar 31 min read
Islesboro Family Stays Close to the Sea
By Melissa Waterman “My dad would say ‘I’m going lobstering’ and I would say ‘I want to go!’ But he wouldn’t let me, I was too young,” Gaby Zlotkowski remembers. “Then when I was older, I’d go out for an hour or two. It was the coolest thing ever.” Kim Grindle and her children, Gaby and Blake Zlotkowski, wrestle kelp lines. J. Sullivan photo. Gaby, 18, is an Islesboro native, and part of an entrepreneurial family. Over the years she watched her father, Jay, and grandfather Jo
Mar 33 min read
MLA Jr Harvester: Russell Bartovics
Russell Bartovics, North Haven, is a lobsterman. The fact that he is just ten years old and in fifth grade doesn’t matter. Ask him about his boat, traps and bait and he will answer with the surety of a lobsterman decades older. Heading in! He got his license when he was eight but, as he is quick to point out, “I had traps for years before that under my dad’s license.” Russell learned the basics of lobstering early on from his father, Foster Bartovics, who goes with him now wh
Mar 32 min read
Women in Fisheries: Chelsea Nunan
By Melissa Waterman Chelsea Nunan, 30, lobsters from Cape Porpoise. She is the fifth generation in her family to go to sea for a living. When she was eight, she began lobstering during the summer with her father Chris Nunan. The summer she was 12 she lobstered with a family friend and at the end of that season, she had earned enough money to buy an 18-foot skiff from him. Chelsea was hooked. Chelsea Nunan at the dock. “I enjoyed it most of the time. Sometimes I did want to go
Mar 32 min read
Lobster Second Most Valuable U.S. Fishery in 2023
NOAA press release For the 26th consecutive year, Dutch Harbor, Alaska led the nation as the port with the highest volume of seafood landed (780.1 million pounds valued at $224.5 million). Alaska pollock have historically made up the majority of landings volume and value. New England landed only 5% of all seafood landings, but accounted for 27% of the value. Snow and king crab are also high-value species and have historically accounted for a large percentage of the value land
Mar 31 min read
In the News | March 2026
Northeast Canyons Marine Monument reopens to commercial fishing President Donald Trump has again removed restrictions on commercial fishing in the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument. The Monument was created in 2016 by President Barack Obama under the Antiquities Act, protecting 4,913 square miles of the Atlantic approximately 150 miles off Cape Cod. Trump’s action marks the fourth time that the status of commercial fishing in the Monument has been chang
Mar 32 min read
AIS Network Alerts Ships Down in Whale Areas
NOAA press release A new real-time messaging network uses the Automatic Identification System (AIS) to reduce the possibility of vessel strikes involving endangered North Atlantic right whales. Ship strikes are a leading source of right whale injury and death. NOAA photo. Right whales are at high risk of injury or death from vessel strikes. NOAA and partners are using AIS in a new way to reduce that risk. AIS transmits the location, speed, and other characteristics of vessels
Mar 32 min read
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