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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.
Quota For Herring Expected To Drop In 2019
Nothing chills the hearts of lobstermen more than the prospect of a bait shortage. Herring comprise the majority of bait purchased by Maine’s approximately 4,500 licensed lobstermen and even the whisper of a possible shortage causes lobstermen to mutter grimly over the marine radio. That whisper might become more of a roar later this summer when the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) concludes two herring-related activities: release of a new benchmark stock assess
Jul 14, 20183 min read
ASMFC Focuses on Mackerel/Herring Quota and Lobster Stock Assessment
During the last month there has been a fair amount of discussion about accountability measures in the Atlantic mackerel fishery and potential impacts to the herring fishery. As a reminder, the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC) oversees the fishery management plan for Atlantic mackerel. In February of this year, the river herring/shad catch cap was harvested in the Atlantic mackerel fishery, prompting a 20,000-pound trip limit in the mackerel fishery to be imple
Jun 26, 20182 min read
DMR's Policy on Changing Over Trap Tags
Attention lobstermen: 2017 lobster trap tags are valid from January 1 through May 31, 2018. Fishermen can attach 2018 trap tags before June 1 but must have a 2017 tag attached to the trap as well. There has been some concern among fishermen about setting new gear without the current year tags before June 1. This situation is no different than setting new gear in October: a lobsterman would have to remove a valid tag from the gear he is replacing and hog ring it into the new
Jun 24, 20182 min read
Steaming Ahead
Out of the frying pan into the fire…. We can now add a pending bait crisis to the list of major issues facing the Maine lobster industry....
Jun 14, 20182 min read
New Three-Year Research Project On Vertical Lines Begins In July
In May, the Department of Marine Resources (DMR) was awarded a three-year, $714,000 grant by the National Marine Fisheries Service Section 6 Species Recovery Grant program to assess the use of vertical lines in fixed gear fisheries in the Gulf of Maine. The objective is to analyze existing vertical lines in different parts of the Gulf of Maine to inform management decisions to strengthen protections for right whales in the region. The project will document the types and riggi
Jun 12, 20184 min read
MLA Files Motion To Enter Court Case
As it has during its 64-year history, the Maine Lobstermen’s Association (MLA) is once again seeking a place at the table for Maine’s lobstermen in the face of potentially crippling new regulations from federal fisheries managers. The MLA filed its motion on May 30 to become an intervener in a legal suit brought against the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) by the Center for Biological Diversity, Humane Society of the United States, Defenders of Wildlife and the Conser
Jun 4, 20183 min read
Adaptation Part Of Life For Maine’s Lobstermen
Maine is home to more than 4,800 licensed lobstermen operating along the coast. Those lobstermen represent fishing traditions that go back more than one hundred years. Within the small towns that dot the Maine coast, men and women head to sea each day as their parents and grandparents once did, using their hard-earned skills to capture lobsters and bring them to shore. Now that tradition is at risk as fishery regulators consider the need for increased protections for North At
Jun 2, 20185 min read
Impact of Black Sea Bass in Gulf of Maine Remains Unclear
With the Gulf of Maine warming at a rapid rate, its waters are opening up to a host of new guests, one of which is causing quite a stir....
May 9, 20182 min read
Right Whale Dilemma May Be Beyond the Control of Federal Laws
Human beings have an innate desire to control their environment. If I want a pond in the backyard, I make one. If we want dry land, as in...
May 5, 20183 min read
2017 Lobster Landings Show Differences Among Zones
Lobster zones A, C and D comprise the majority of the state’s lobster landings, at 22%, 25%, and 19% respectively. Zone B lobstermen...
May 2, 20181 min read
Snow Crab Sustainability Certificate Suspended
The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certificate for the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence (SGOSL) snow crab trap fishery in Canada was...
Apr 13, 20182 min read
Status of North American Right Whales Topic of Fishermen's Forum Session
The audience packed the room at the Fishermen’s Forum for a presentation on the status of North Atlantic right whales. Mark Baumgartner...
Apr 7, 20182 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
Guest Column: New lobster reporting requirements to begin
At its February meeting, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s (ASMFC) Lobster Management Board approved a new addendum to...
Apr 4, 20183 min read
Canada Announces New Whale Protections in Gulf of St. Lawrence
On March 28, Canada’s Minister of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) Dominic LeBlanc announced new management measures for the spring Area 12...
Apr 2, 20182 min read
What Does the Future Hold for the Maine Lobster Fishery?
Department of Marine Resources (DMR) Commissioner Patrick Keliher was brief and to the point at a session on the future of the Maine...
Apr 1, 20181 min read
Cooperative Approach Deep Seated in Tignish, PEI
The fishing port of Tignish, Prince Edward Island, lies on the northwest tip of the Canadian province. The land is flat and fertile, open to the Northumberland Strait and Gulf of St. Lawrence. The Tignish and Judes Point Harbor is a long inlet behind whose breakwaters a fleet of snow crab, lobster, herring and tuna boats is berthed. On Judes Point Road sits the Tignish Fisheries Co-op Association. The cooperative is Canada’s oldest fishermen’s cooperative, founded in 1924 by
Mar 27, 20183 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
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