SCRUBBING LOBSTERS RESULTS IN MULTI-YEAR SUSPENSIONS

In December, 2016, Department of Marine Resources Commissioner Patrick Keliher suspended the lobster licenses of two men for removing the eggs from female lobsters. The violation is a Class D crime which, in addition to license suspension, is punishable by up to a year in jail and fines in excess of $1,000.

The licenses of Dexter Bray, Jr. of Stonington and Philip Poland of Cushing have been suspended for six years as a result of separate investigations conducted earlier in the year by Maine Marine Patrol. “Scrubbing lobsters is one of the most serious violations of marine resource laws we see,” said Marine Patrol Colonel Jon Cornish. “By removing eggs to make a short-term monetary gain, criminals deny future generations of fishermen the opportunity those eggs represent. Just as important, they undermine the work law-abiding harvesters do every day to sustain this important resource.”

Bray, who fished in lobster Management Zone C, was notified after a length of suspension hearing on November 2, 2016 with Commissioner Keliher that his license would be suspended for six years, allowing him to regain his license on May 19, 2022. Poland, who fished in Zone D, was notified after a length of suspension hearing on November 15, 2016 that his license would be suspended for six years, allowing him to regain his license on July 8, 2022.