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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.
ASMFC Tries a Different Approach to Lobster Fishery
By Carli Clancy First published in National Fisherman, reprinted with permission After the collapse of controversial lobster gauge changes, managers are taking a different approach to the future of the Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank fishery. This time, they are starting with a broader question: What should lobster management be trying to accomplish? Lobstermen will have a say in what regional lobster management should accomplish. MLMC photo. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheri
27 minutes ago4 min read
Canadian Tariffs Would Impact Fall Lobster Season
On Tuesday, August 25, Canada announced that it would impose retaliatory tariffs on more than 700 U.S. goods in response to U.S. tariffs instituted on August 24. U.S. seafood would be under a 25% tariff on September 8. Following immediate feedback from the Canadian seafood sector, the Canadian Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson announced on Wednesday, August 26, that the Canadian government has made “targeted adjustments” and removed the U.S. seafood and fish sector products
31 minutes ago1 min read
Guest Column: The importance of storytelling
By Elizabeth Horton Strategic storytelling for the heroes of food, farming and fishing has taken me to cocoa forests in Madagascar, salmon farms in Patagonia, sugarbushes in Vermont and organic dairies in Wisconsin. Sense of place is powerful, and some of the best stories are at home in Maine. Elizabeth Horton is president of Simmer Public Relations and a new MLMC board member. In July, I joined more than 275 bakers, brewers, farmers and millers from across the country who de
39 minutes ago3 min read
Guest Column: Remembering Alfred Osgood, Vinalhaven
I remember as a kid reading about Chuck Yeager, the legendary test pilot who, among other accomplishments, was the first to break the sound barrier in 1947 and went on to oversee the training of astronauts who flew in NASA’s space programs. David Osgood, Alfred, and David's son Stephen holding his son Deacon, with Alfred's 36' Starlight Express. B. Robbins photo. Yeager may have been a hotshot pilot with superhuman reflexes, but you’d never know it by his radio voice. His lai
44 minutes ago4 min read
Humpback Whales Frequent Visitors Along Coast This Summer
A lot of whales and other marine mammals have been seen off the Maine coast this summer, some even as far up the Penobscot Bay as Searsport. While right whale sightings have been rare this year, humpback whale sightings have been a delight for those who have the good fortune to see them, whether from the shore or on the water. Why are they here? A visiting humpback draws onlookers at Bayside in Northport. Midcoast Villager photo. Humpbacks got their Latin name for their long
50 minutes ago3 min read
Innovators of the Coast: Gina Mannarino, Green Gean's
Freeze-dried foods are increasingly common. You can buy such things as blueberries and strawberries, corn and peas, scrambled eggs and coffee, even pot roast and chili ready to reconstitute and eat. And now you can enjoy freeze-dried green crabs. Gina Mannarino and a selection of Maine freeze-dried strawberries. CME photo. Gina Mannarino, founder of Green Gean's, a freeze-drying company in Old Orchard Beach, began her company with common Maine foods as a way to conserve their
58 minutes ago3 min read
Steaming Ahead | September 2026
Every lobstering season has its own rhythm. Some years start early. Some are late. Some parts of the coast see strong fishing while others struggle. This year is no different. Depending on where you fish — east or west, inshore or offshore — your season very likely looks very different from someone else’s. Some lobstermen are seeing decent landings. Others are not. Everyone is hoping for a strong fall and everyone is really hoping for a strong boat price. C. Clegg photo. The
1 hour ago4 min read
Maine Lobstermen's Association Update | September 2026
Billion Egg Challenge Enters its Final Month Thank you to all who have participated in and supported MLA’s Billion Egg Challenge this summer. We’ve got just under a month to go and are over half way to our goal! Thank you to the more than 175 lobstermen who have joined the challenge to help us protect one billion lobster eggs, a huge investment in our future. Over 800 public supporters are watching to see if we meet our goal and are learning first-hand about Maine’s sustainab
1 hour ago8 min read
MLA Jr Harvester Poppy Holden
Poppy Holden, 8, of South Portland, has a student lobster license and ten traps. She also has an able-bodied crew: her sister Banks, 6, her other sister Hadley, 4, and her father, Luke Holden, age 42, founder of Luke’s Lobster. She fishes from the aptly named Sea Sisters, a 16-foot Carolina skiff, and sells her catch at Luke’s Lobster’s Portland Pier, operated by her grandfather Jeff Holden. Photos courtesy of L. Holden You can say that lobstering runs in the family like a st
1 hour ago2 min read
Maine Lobstermen's Association Membership Has Many Meanings
What does it mean to be a member of the Maine Lobstermen’s Association (MLA), the state’s oldest fishermen’s advocacy group? “It means I’m informed on anything I need to know — regulations, gauge increase plan, anything,” said Erick Harjula, a South Thomaston lobsterman. Harjula is surprised that all lobstermen aren’t MLA members. “The MLA helps us in the long run. “I learn new things every time I read the newspaper [Landings]. I don’t understand why more don’t sign up.” Ther
1 hour ago3 min read
To Your Health: Stay well and strong in your middle years
By Toni Small Your age: it’s a number. Not everyone ages at the same rate – injury, chronic disease or pain can lead a person to grow old faster than their chronological years. Some folks age quicker sitting in a tractor trailer truck than you do working on the water. While the number helps us generalize, it is not an absolute. By the time you get to middle-age (40 – 65), there’s a lot of “good for you/bad for you” health advice that has come and gone: coffee and butter are b
2 hours ago4 min read
Baby Lobsters Get a Head Start at Sea
A baby lobster is born into a pretty tough world. After riding securely on a female lobster’s abdomen for many months, the fertilized egg is unceremoniously dumped into the Gulf of Maine to fend for itself. Except it can’t. For many weeks the tiny egg simply floats with the wind and currents. If it’s not eaten during that time by, well, you name it, it will molt four times during its wanderings. After its fourth molt, the miniature lobster attempts to settle on the seafloor,
2 hours ago3 min read
MLCA Celebrates Maine Tides and Traditions in Stonington
Stonington Town Manager Kathleen Billings and Bold Coast Seafood founder Curt Brown. The Maine Lobster Community Alliance (MLCA) brought the Stonington and Deer Isle communities together on August 20 for its second annual Tides & Traditions fundraiser at Burnt Cove Boil. Nearly 50 guests gathered on the waterfront to celebrate Maine’s lobstering heritage and support MLCA’s work to strengthen the fishing families and coastal communities that depend on a healthy lobster industr
2 hours ago2 min read
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