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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.
Steaming Ahead for February 2018
Hardly a day goes by without seeing a disturbing headline about North Atlantic right whales. It is true that right whales are not faring well right now, but it is not true that the full burden of solving this issue falls on the shoulders of Maine lobstermen. There are some unfortunate facts that we must come to grips with. According to the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), the right whale population increased steadily from 1990 to 2010, growing from 270 to 483 whales.
Feb 17, 20185 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
New Director of GARFO Selected
Michael Pentony was appointed the new Regional Administrator for NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office in January. Pentony has been with the agency since 2002, serving in a series of positions including as the Assistant Regional Administrator for the Sustainable Fisheries Division since 2014. He succeeds retiring Regional Administrator John Bullard, who had been in the position since 2012. In his new role, Pentony will head the agency’s regional office, wh
Feb 6, 20182 min read
Lobster, Jonah Crab Plan Public Hearings in January
On January 10, in Scarborough, and January 11, in Ellsworth, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) will hold public...
Jan 30, 20181 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
V-Notching Remains Critical to the Sustainability of Maine 's Lobster Stocks
Concerned by the apparent decline among lobstermen in V-notching egg-bearing female lobster, a Downeast lobsterman has decided to take...
Jan 27, 20183 min read
Cooperatives a Long-standing Practice in Maine Lobster Industry
The coast of Maine is dotted with fishing cooperatives. They may be in small harbors with just ten or twenty members, or larger...
Jan 19, 20184 min read
NOAA Fisheries Recommends Actions to Help Right Whales
Designating a dedicated Right Whale Recovery Coordinator in the Greater Atlantic Region to focus efforts on recovery. Diane Borggaard, a...
Nov 14, 20173 min read
Whale Entanglements on the West Coast Prompt Court Cases, Voluntary Measures
Thus far in 2017, an alarming number of North Atlantic right whales have been found dead, primarily in the Gulf of St. Lawrence but also in the waters off Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Some of the whales showed evidence of entanglement in fishing gear, a fact that has caused the Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans to suggest possible changes in crab and lobster fishing regulations in that country. Fishermen in the United States have already made a series of changes to thei
Oct 18, 20174 min read
Maine Coastal Program Becomes Part of Department of Marine Resources
The Maine Coastal Program, formerly a program of the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, is now a Division of the Maine Department of Marine Resources. The move, made possible by the recently passed state budget, will allow the DMR to build on initiatives of the Coastal Program that impact Maine’s coastal communities. The change includes a transfer of $3.4 million in federal funds received by the Coastal Program and nearly $170,000 in other revenue. Si
Oct 16, 20172 min read
The Results Are In: Alewives Can Fish As Well As Herring
Herring and its availability and cost have been problematic for Maine’s fishermen for well over a decade, the past several seasons being no exception. The unpredictable nature of both the availability and cost of herring creates considerable business uncertainty for fishermen. And, as every small business owner knows, success lies in the ability to control and predict as many variables as possible. In an industry where so much — for example, weather, catch and dock price — i
Oct 11, 20174 min read
Guest Column: Massachusetts Lobster Season in Full Gear
With the 2017 fishing season in full gear and lobsters being landed and the price holding around $4.75-$6.00lb, the Massachusetts Lobstermen’s Association continues to be engaged in the numerous issues that the commercial fishing industry is facing. There never seems to be any downtime, as you in Maine know all too well. The Association is working on issues related to the National Marine Monument, North Atlantic right whales, advocating for more law enforcement, organizing th
Oct 1, 20173 min read
Right Whale Deaths Reveal Differences in Canadian, U.S. Protection
Canada and the United States have different laws which apply to the endangered North Atlantic right whale. In the United States, the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) govern activities related to the whales. In Canada, the governing law is the Species at Risk Act (SARA). Implementation of these laws in the two countries illustrates their differing approaches toward the long-term conservation of right whales. The problem larger numbers of
Sep 29, 20178 min read
people of the coast: John Bullard of New Bedford
First published in Landings, September, 2017 No one would accuse John Bullard of lacking words. The Regional Administrator for NOAA’s Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office (GARFO) likes to talk and has a gift for storytelling. But he also has a gift for listening. “When I got here in 2012, all the external relationships with this office were broken. We had bad relationships with Congress, with the press, the states, and the fishing industry. So after I met the staff I sa
Sep 4, 20177 min read
guest column: Once again, the summer season has been busy
First published in Landings, September, 2017 As would be expected, Marine Patrol Officers have been very busy, with summer in full swing and lobster catches picking up. Officers in southern and midcoast Maine have been involved with violations of the owner/operator law, individuals fishing without a lobster license, illegal dumping, molesting lobster gear and a charge of artificial removal of eggs. Artificial removal of eggs carries a four-year-minimum license suspension. In
Sep 4, 20173 min read
WHERE ARE THE HERRING?
First published in Landings, September, 2017 Up and down the Maine coast one hears the same laments from lobstermen: “Herring! I need more herring!” followed by “The price of bait is killing me!” It’s been an unusual summer for herring fishermen and lobstermen alike. Last summer, the surge of herring catches in Area 1A (inshore Gulf of Maine) caused the Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR) to take stringent measures to slow herring landings in July in order to make the
Sep 4, 20174 min read
2017 River Herring Comeback Not Just A Flash in the Pan
“So many they turned the water black,” “hundreds of barrels in a single tide.” These are quotes describing river herring migrations 75-100 years ago. River herring are alewife and blueback herring, small bait fish related to Atlantic herring. They are anadromous, meaning they swim into freshwater to spawn and both adults and juveniles later return to the sea. They once frequented nearly every stream and river of the Atlantic coast. The history of the fishery in Maine goes bac
Aug 26, 20173 min read
Steaming Ahead
It has been a hell of a year for right whales. As I write this, eight right whales have been found dead in the Gulf of St. Lawrence so far this summer. Necropsies conducted by researchers on six of the whales attribute three deaths to ship strikes, one to entanglement in snow crab gear, and one remains undetermined. One necropsy is still pending. In addition to these mortalities, there have been six entangled right whales in 2017. Fortunately, three were successfully disentan
Aug 13, 20174 min read
high mortality among right whales in Gulf of st. lawrence
First published in, Landings, August 2017 This has been a deadly summer for the endangered North Atlantic right whale. In June and July, eight right whales were found dead in the area around the Magdalen Islands in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Preliminary findings from necropsies performed on the whales by the Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) indicate that three of the whales showed evidence of ship strikes. Another whale had become entangled in snow crab gear
Aug 9, 20172 min read
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