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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.
Young Lobstermen Weigh In on 20 Years of Whale Regulations
It’s been twenty years since whale protection measures were put in place for Maine lobstermen through the Atlantic Large Whale Take...
Aug 6, 20183 min read
1946 Lobster Smack Still Plies the Waters With Elegance
It’s rare to find a boat that nearly every fisherman would term “pretty” but in the case of Bajupa, that phrase rings true. Built in 1946 by Robert Rich, proprietor of Bass Harbor Boat Company, as a lobster smack for the Rackliff and Witham Lobster Company of Rockland, the 50-foot Bajupa has made the trip between the city and Matinicus Island for many years under the command of half a dozen men. This summer she’s taking a slightly different route, between Rockland and North H
Aug 3, 20184 min read
Harpswell Returns to Lobster Race Circuit
After a four-year hiatus, lobstermen will again be hauling in prizes at the Harpswell Lobster Boat Races. The races will take place Sunday, July 29, at Pott’s Harbor beginning at 10 a.m. There will be 31 race classes, ranging from non-working boats to Novi boats, with first-, second- and third-place finishers. The rain date is August 5. Registration will begin at 8 a.m. at Erica’s Seafood, 505 Basin Point Road, where race merchandise will also be available for purchase. Larry
Jul 24, 20182 min read
Coastal Outlook: Thoughts From MLCA President Patrice McCarron
What’s not to like on the Maine coast in July? Blue skies, almost warm water, picnics and clam bakes and lobster boat races abound. It’s time to get outside and enjoy what the coast has to offer. This month Landings offers its readers a chance to learn about the history of one of the oldest lobster smacks still operating in Maine. Bajupa has traveled amid the Penobscot Bay islands and Matinicus Island for more than 70 years, bringing bait, fuel and other fishing supplies to l
Jul 20, 20184 min read
Wicasset Development Organization Awarded $300,000 Aquaculture Grant
The Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research, a nonprofit corporation established by the 2014 Farm Bill, has awarded Coastal Enterprises Inc. a $300,000 research grant to investigate the economic viability of a Japanese scallop production technique, known as ear-hung scallop nets, that has been shown to grow scallops faster and produce larger meat yields. The organization will provide an equal $300,000 match to the grant. In 2017, according to Department of Marine Resourc
Jun 30, 20181 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
People Of The Coast: Shelley Frothingham, Owls Head
The Owls Head home of Scott and Shelley Frothingham shows all the signs of a typical lobsterman’s house. Brightly colored buoys are piled...
Jun 22, 20183 min read
Guest Column: Working waterfronts are more than just a space
There’s an old Brazilian tale that goes something like this: A fisherman and a businessman are talking in a small village. The businessman asks the fisherman about his day and the fisherman says in the morning he goes fishing, in the afternoon he spends time with his children, and in the evening, he eats supper with his wife and then joins his friends for a drink. The businessman tells the fisherman that he has a Ph.D. in business and that the fisherman should fish longer day
Jun 18, 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
Guest Column: Marine Patrol Getting Ready for Summer Months
Is it just me or has this been a very late spring? Finally, we are seeing 60 degrees. Officers are winding down from a productive scallop...
May 4, 20185 min read
Traditions Under Siege in Maine Lobster Fishery
Maine is home to more than 4,800 licensed lobstermen operating along the coast. Those lobstermen represent fishing traditions that go...
May 1, 20187 min read
Belfast Artist Focuses on Women Who Fish
Belfast artist Susan Tobey White paints from the heart. She has spent the past twenty years exploring the world around her through her acrylic paintings. Her large canvases detail brightly colored people dancing, exuberant vegetables, and lobstermen at work. Now she wants to begin a series of paintings focused solely on women who lobster. In 2002, after having taught elementary art for 15 years, White opened High Street Studio & Gallery in an historic building in downtown Bel
Apr 15, 20182 min read
Study Shows Lack of Resilience Among Maine Fishermen
With last year’s lobster landings down from the previous year by 16%, there is a lot of discussion about the future of the lobster...
Apr 11, 20183 min read
DMR Hires Two New Research Scientists
The Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR) hired two new scientists in March. Jesica Waller of Newcastle will be responsible for...
Apr 10, 20182 min read
Your Health Insurance: Time for a Spring Tune-Up!
When we think about health insurance, we typically think about it as something to use when we are sick, but did you know that your health...
Apr 8, 20183 min read
People of the Coast: Donna and Marsden Brewer of Stonington
One of the hallmarks of Maine fishermen is their ability to put their hands to the many things needed to make a living in a hard...
Mar 31, 20181 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
Steaming Ahead - March 2018
The 2018 MLA Annual Meeting will mark a changing of the guard for the Association. After 27 years of service as President of the MLA, David Cousens is retiring. This transition is a good time to reflect on the MLA’s many accomplishments during David’s tenure and the MLA’s strength and stability as it seamlessly transitions to new leadership. The MLA has been hard at work fighting to preserve a way of life for lobstermen, their families and their communities since 1954. No one
Mar 17, 20186 min read
Cutler Man to Head Maine Lobstermen's Association
Kristan Porter of Cutler will be elected president of the Maine Lobstermen’s Association (MLA) this month, taking the reins of the 64-year-old organization from long-time president David Cousens. He brings to the position years of involvement not only with the MLA but also with the Maine Fishermen’s Forum, the Downeast Draggermen’s Association, the state’s Sea Urchin Zone Council and other groups. But more importantly, he brings a clear sense of purpose. “The MLA needs to be
Mar 13, 20184 min read
In Memoriam: Andy Mays
Southwest Harbor lobsterman and scalloper Andrew Scott Mays, 53, died on December 28. He is survived by his wife Michelle and three sons. Mays grew up in Moretown, Vermont, and graduated from Harwood Union High School in 1982. One night after graduation he made a vow that whichever branch of the military was advertised on that evening’s late-night TV, he would enlist in; it was the Coast Guard. Mays served in the Coast Guard from 1983 to 1991 and was stationed in Southwest H
Feb 12, 20183 min read
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