New Lobster Art Exhibit in Wells
This summer the Wells Reserve at Laudholm will feature an art and science exhibition, “Consider the Lobster: A Decapod Odyssey in Art.” The exhibit will be on display until November 4 in the reserve’s Coastal Ecology Center gallery. The exhibition, free with general admission, delves into the intricate world of the lobster, as depicted through a curated array of paintings, photography, and mixed media works by local artists. With works by Amy Kelly, Sue Rioux, Peter Sheppard, Wade Zahares, and others, the exhibition examines lobsters from egg to plate and their essential role in Maine’s culture.
Amy Kelly lobster.
Maine Seafood Promotional Council Formed
A grant from the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development’s Domestic Trade Grant Program, which was funded by the Maine Jobs & Recovery Plan and the American Rescue Plan Act, will help establish a new Maine Seafood Promotional Council. The council, which is being led by FocusMaine and guided by input from the seafood industry, aims to advance market development and expansion for the state’s many seafood products by advancing the Maine seafood brand and expanding sales into out-of-state markets.
Dead entangled humpback found in Casco Bay
A dead humpback whale with fishing gear wrapped around its tail was hauled from Casco Bay in early June. It’s at least the second time the 40-foot female has been entangled in ropes or nets. Maine Marine Patrol towed the whale into Portland Harbor from somewhere around Richmond Island, off the coast of Cape Elizabeth. The whale was loaded onto a flatbed truck to be transported to an inland facility for a necropsy to determine a cause of death and disposal; NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement is investigating the death.
Previously Entangled Right Whale Seen Gear-Free in Canada
A North Atlantic right whale has been spotted free of fishing gear after previously being seen entangled in gear off New Brunswick, reported the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) in late June. An aerial survey crew spotted the whale in the Gulf of St. Lawrence on the weekend. The same whale was spotted in mid-May caught in fishing gear between the Acadian Peninsula and the Magdalen Islands. The first sighting of the entangled whale prompted a closure of the area to fishing, leading some lobstermen to protest and refuse to take their gear out of the water. Shortly after, DFO announced that fishermen would be allowed to continue fishing in part of the closed area. The fishing season in this area began on May 5 and is set to close on July 4.
Changes on the Portland Fish Pier
The Portland Fish Exchange and the Portland Fish Pier Authority will merge into one entity on July 1. In June the Portland City Council voted unanimously to approve the merger in order to stabilize the Fish Exchange’s budget and management. The Portland Fish Exchange opened its doors in 1986 and has become a hub for buying and selling Gulf of Maine groundfish. However, as the groundfish industry has declined, the Fish Exchange has struggled to stay afloat and has often relied on funding from the Authority. The Portland Fish Pier Authority was incorporated in August 1989 and formed by Portland as a local development corporation. It was put in place to manage and market the entire premises known as the Portland Fish Pier for the benefit of the fishing and fishery-related businesses. After the merger a single board of directors will oversee the combined budget for the new Portland Fish Pier Authority.
Portland Fish Exchange photo.
Tribal Project Protects Young Eels
A project of the Passamaquoddy Tribe is making sure young eels get to where they want to go on several Downeast river. Three tribal fishermen are licensed to fish eels for the restoration project initiated by Chief Amkuwiposohehs “Pos” Bassett. The project not only aims to help get elvers over river dams, but also help mature eels get through the dams, which often turned into sushi when passing through spinning hydro-electric turbines. “I trap and release the eels daily,” said Erik Francis. “Always in the river of origin. In the fall we plan to trap the full-grown eels, big ones that are ready to go down river and take them and release them below the dams so that they can swim to sea.” Francis was catching over 10 pounds of elvers a day on the Penobscot River, and by the end of the project on June 3, had captured and released over 216 pounds of eels. “We estimate that as 195,200 elvers,” he says.
Renovated Maine State Aquarium is Open
The Maine State Aquarium re-opened in late June after $850,000 in renovations and new exhibits. Improvements include updated walls and floors, upgraded pumps and filters necessary to safely hold and display animals, and new display tanks that will feature a variety of sea life found in the Gulf of Maine, providing an up-close view of animals and plants interacting with each other and the marine environment.
Two 1300-gallon touch tanks have been custom-fabricated to resemble the rocky Maine coastline and configured to ensure compliance with animal care standards. New interactive exhibits will highlight some of the research the Department of Marine Resources (DMR) conducts to protect and manage Gulf of Maine resources. The Aquarium will also feature profiles of DMR scientists as well as arts and crafts for children.
Komentar