By Richard Howland, MLA Vice-Chairman First published in the Bangor Daily News For generations, Maine’s identity has been tied to the water. Lobstermen heading out before sunrise. Sternmen learning how to haul and bait traps. Families whose livelihoods depend on tides and seasons. Lobstering is more than an industry, it’s a way of life passed down through hands-on experience, not textbooks. Richard Howland, MLA Vice-Chairman Today, that chain of knowledge is under real strain. Maine’s lobster...

By Carli Stewart, National Fisherman, reprinted with permission Researchers at the University of Maine (UMaine) are taking a closer look at whether cunner fish may be preying on lobsters in a new way, particularly targeting egg-bearing females. The work is being led by fisheries scientist Michelle Staudinger, backed by a National Geographic Society grant aimed at studying keystone species and emerging ecosystems shifts. Cunner are generally less than a foot in length. Their mouths are lined...

By Stephen Rappaport, Working Waterfront Reprinted with permission Like the schools of menhaden that roil the summer waters off the coast of Maine, a proposed law that would open that lucrative fishery to more participants has been raising turmoil among fishermen, legislators, and state regulators. Menhaden has become a significant part of the bait supply for Maine’s lobster industry, especially over the past several years when herring have been in short supply. The debate over how many...