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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.
People of the Coast: Kathy Clark, Swan's Island
It’s a good feeling to know that you are doing what you really like to do for your work. That describes Kathy Clark’s perspective of her...
May 8, 20182 min read
Coastal Outlook: Thoughts from MLCA President Patrice McCarron
Welcome to the merry month of May! It’s been a long winter and a cold spring leading, finally, to the pleasure of Maine’s summer and a...
May 3, 20183 min read
Guest Column: Lobster stock assessment will consider climate change
This year, the American Lobster Technical Committee will begin work on the next benchmark stock assessment for lobster. The Technical...
Apr 5, 20182 min read
Coastal Outlook: Thoughts from MLCA President Patrice McCarron
After the endless snowstorms of March, it’s encouraging to be looking ahead to the warming temperatures of April. This is the time that...
Apr 3, 20184 min read
Coastal Outlook: Thoughts from MLCA President Patrice McCarron March 2018
It’s an old saying that March “comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb.” Here in Maine it’s more likely that March remains...
Mar 30, 20184 min read
Guest Column: "The Fishermen Will Let You Know"
The Maine Lobster Marketing Collaborative (MLMC) was established in 2013 by an act of the Maine Legislature. While the statute is wide-ranging, there is one line that has significant impact on the MLMC’s activities: “This section is repealed Oct. 1, 2018.” If the Legislature does not act, the Collaborative will cease operations on October 1. Four years ago, the MLMC began to create a robust marketing effort that we could measure and that would ultimately create value for the
Mar 25, 20183 min read
Guest Column: Seafood Tops Maine's 2017 Exports, again
Maine seafood, driven by lobster, was the state’s top export commodity in 2017. This makes the fifth straight year seafood has been Maine’s leading export commodity. In terms of dollar value, 2017 represented the second highest amount of seafood exported from Maine. Maine seafood exports were $469.8 million for 2017. The vast majority of seafood exported was Maine lobster, with over $325.5 million in live lobster and $6.3 million in frozen lobster exported. U.S. lobster expo
Mar 23, 20182 min read
Guest Column: Offshore Oil Plans More Stunt Than Reality
First published in SeafoodNews.com and reprinted with permission We have been deluged with press releases and news stories reacting to the executive order by President Trump opening up virtually all U.S. coastal waters to oil drilling. This is something that has been opposed for more than 50 years by both the fisheries and tourism industries, and is opposed by all coastal states except for Alaska, and those in the Gulf of Mexico where drilling is already taking place. We dou
Mar 21, 20183 min read
Guest Column: ASFMC Lobster Board Seeks Better Data on Lobster Fishing
At their February 6 meeting, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s (ASMFC) Lobster Board is expected to take final action on Draft Addendum 26. The draft addendum, which considers changes to harvester reporting and biological data collection requirements, was prompted by recent actions including the declaration of the Northeast Seamount and Canyons National Monument, the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) Deep Sea Coral Amendment, and discussions rega
Feb 13, 20182 min read
Guest Column: Maine's Clean Marine Engine Program Helps Fishermen
First published in Working Waterfront and reprinted with permission. It’s not every day the government will pay for nearly half of a new engine for your boat. But that is the case for the owners of some commercial vessels. Since 2009, over 100 fishing boats, schooners, ferries, whale watch boats and even a tug boat have been repowered with grants from the Maine Clean Marine Engine Program. Last spring, Kevin Glover repowered his 1994 Holland 38, replacing the original 692 D
Feb 11, 20183 min read
Feb 9, 20180 min read
Guest Column: Right Whale Deaths Trigger a Need for Action
Since April 2017, 17 North Atlantic right whales have been observed dead in both U.S. and Canadian waters, a nearly 4% loss of the...
Jan 28, 20183 min read
Guest Column: Maine lobster suffering blows so now's the time to fight
First published in SeafoodNews.com. Reprinted with permission. Yesterday we learned that there is considerable opposition on the docks in...
Jan 4, 20186 min read
Guest Column: Marketing important in bad times and in good
During 2012, the Maine lobster industry suffered its worst season ever. The catch started coming in in May. Processors were busy with the...
Dec 6, 20174 min read
Guest Column: 2017 was a year of change
While landings in most parts of the state are down compared to last year’s record-setting catch, lobster continues to be Maine’s most...
Dec 5, 20174 min read
Coastal Outlook: Thoughts from MLCA President Patrice McCarron
Welcome to the end of 2017! While the final numbers are not in yet, this year will certainly mark a downturn from the recent trend of...
Dec 4, 20174 min read
People of the Coast: Paul Anderson
Paul Anderson took the position of incoming executive director of the Maine Center for Coastal Fisheries (the Center), formerly Penobscot East Resource Center, in September 2017. The Stonington-based nonprofit organization was created by former Department of Marine Resources (DMR) Commissioner Robin Alden and her husband, Ted Ames, in 2003; Alden served as its director for 14 years and is stepping down at the end of 2017. Anderson was the director of the Maine Sea Grant progr
Nov 8, 20173 min read
Guest Column: Eastern Penobscot Bay Hydrographic Survey Completed
Fugro recently concluded its second consecutive field season in Penobscot Bay. Working under contract to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the company collected 89 square nautical miles of hydrographic survey data over a period of three months to update navigational charts in the region. Having successfully surveyed western Penobscot Bay during the summer of 2016, this summer’s eff orts were focused on the bay’s eastern region. “It is without a doubt
Nov 6, 20173 min read
Guest Column: Marine Patrol Officers Busy in the Field
Marine Patrol Officers are busy with all the fall activities taking place on the coast. We could not be prouder of our current workforce and the eff orts they have made this past summer given that we had two recent retirements and lost an additional two officers. Recruitment and retention continue to challenge the Bureau, however, we have worked hard to overcome these issues and I believe progress is being made. In early October, three new Marine Patrol Officers were sworn in
Nov 5, 20174 min read
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