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July 2012 Vol 20, No 7

MMAINEAINELOBSTERMEN’S ASSOCIATIONBetter Informed, Better DecisionsBetter Informed, Better Decisions

I N S I D EDon’t touch that trap Lobster Academy The Art of Fishingpage 3 page 4 page 15

Continued on page 18

Senator Susan Collins (center), U.S. ambassador to Thailand Kristie Kenney (second from left) and staff members at an event promoting Maine lobster and other state products in Bangkok.

Photo courtesy of Kevin Kelley.

Orion Seafood International20 Ladd St, Third Floor Portsmouth, NH 03801 (603) 433-2220www.orionseafood.com

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“King of the Lobster Roll”Sen. Collins

Continued on page 5

by Senator Susan Collins

I recently had the privilege of partici-pating in the World Economic Forum

in Thailand’s capital city of Bangkok. The Forum included productive meet-ings with Southeast Asian leaders to dis-cuss issues of defense, and regional and national security.

To mark my visit, the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok hosted a “Promote Maine” week that showcased Maine-made prod-ucts and introduced them to Thai busi-nesspeople, including major grocery im-porters. A highlight of the week was a breakfast featuring Maine products and showcasing Maine lobster, hosted by the

by Sarah Paquette

Coastal towns throughout the state are gearing up for summer

and the infl ux of tourists looking for the Maine experience. A key aspect of summer in Maine is, of course, the iconic lobster roll. The Clam Shack in Kennebunkport has always served lobster rolls, but recent ap-pearances on national television have increased the demand for their ver-sion of the classic roll.

Three summers ago, the Travel Channel’s Food Wars show came to Kennebunkport to fi nd out who served the best lobster roll: Alisson’s Restaurant or The Clam Shack. Steve Kingston and his team were declared the winners with their fresh lobster meat covered in butter and served

By Melissa Waterman

In June the Lobster Advisory Council took its message – that additional emphasis must be put on marketing

Maine lobster in the global marketplace – to lobstermen along the coast. Four meetings were held to explain the strategy developed during the winter months, called Project Maine Lobster, to those most affected by the current low price of lobster.

Project Maine Lobster is a three-year plan which em-phasizes building a brand identity specifi cally for lobster from Maine and then boosting overall demand for lob-ster, much as demand has been built for other products such as blueberries or cranberries. To do that, a brand identity must be forged for Maine lobster. That brand must then be applied to all forms of lobster, processed or live, and focused marketing efforts undertaken to build global demand. These actions will result in a sig-nifi cant increase in demand, which in turn, will lead to a

higher price paid to lobstermen for their catch. As John Sauve, president of the Food and Well-

ness Group, a marketing fi rm in Portland, and author of Project Maine Lobster, repeated at all four meet-ings, “We are here to present a possible solution, to get something good to happen. If you don’t do anything, nothing will change.”

Lobstermen and dealers who attended the Yar-mouth meeting agreed that building demand for Maine Lobster is clearly the fi rst step required to boost the price. The approximately twenty people attending the meeting discussed that many consumers don’t under-stand what makes a Maine lobster special, thus creating a brand identity for those lobsters will be very impor-tant. Sauve said that currently Maine Lobster is a name, not an identity. Such an identity would involve telling the story of Maine lobstermen – how the lobster is caught, how the populations are managed, the fact that all lobstermen are independent businessmen.

Project Maine Lobster gets positive reception from lobstermen

promotes Maine in Asia

Continued on page 6

Freshly picked lobster meat and delicate rolls equals success for Steve Kingston of The Clam Shack in

Kennebunk. Photo by Sarah Paquette.

2 MAINE LOBSTERMEN’S ASSOCIATION July 2012

Steaming AheadMaine Lobstermen’s Association

Advocating for a sustainable

lobster resource and the

fi shermen and communities that

depend on itSince 1954

Board of Directors•••

President: David Cousens So. Th omaston, 207.594.7518

1st VP: Jim Dow Bass Harbor, 207.288.9846

2nd VP: Brian McLainNew Harbor, 207.677.3377

Sec/Treasurer: Arnold Gamage, Jr. So. Bristol, 207.644.8110

Bob Baines, Spruce Head, 596.0177 Shane Carter, Bar Harbor, 288.0236Dwight Carver, Beals, 497.2895Gerry Cushman, Port Clyde, 372.6429Jim Henderson, Camp Ellis, 468.4363Robert Ingalls, Bucks Harbor, 255.3418 Mark Jones, Boothbay, 633.6054Jason Joyce, Swan’s Island, 526.4109Jack Merrill, Islesford, 244-4187Tad Miller, Matinicus, 372.6941Mike Myrick, Cushing, 354.6077Brad Parady, Kittery, 337.3141Kristan Porter, Cutler, 259.3306Lawrence R. Pye, Small Point, 389.9131Willis Spear, Yarmouth, 846.9279Jay Smith, Nobleboro, 563.5208Craig Stewart, Long Island, 846.3158Elliott Th omas, Yarmouth, 846.6201John Williams, Stonington, 367.2731Donald Young, Cushing, 354.6404Jack Young, Vinalhaven, 863.4905

Staff •••

Executive Director Patrice McCarron 207.967.4555 [email protected]

Industry Communications Coordinator Melissa Waterman [email protected]

Whale Projects CoordinatorHeather Tetreault [email protected]

Education CoordinatorAnnie [email protected]

Education AssistantApril [email protected]

Communications AssistantSarah [email protected]

Th e MLA newsletter is published monthly. It is provided for free to all Maine lobstermen thanks to the support of newsletter sponsors. Th is month’s sponsor is Orion Seafood International.

Maine Lobstermen’s Association21 Western Ave., #1Kennebunk, ME [email protected]

www.mainelobstermen.orgOur newsletter is now online!

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During the month of June, there was a sense of panic in the lobster industry as the price of lobster seemed to enter a

free fall. It’s hard to imagine a worse way to kick off the lobster season than with a slip price that starts with a “2.” From the MLA’s perspective, this has been both concerning and frustrating and, as we all know, there is no easy fi x.

I’ve talked to a lot of people to understand the cause of the situation, and listened carefully for potential solutions. Every lobsterman I spoke with raised serious concern over the boat price and his or her fear of not making any money despite work-ing hard. If you could strip the realities of the world away, one might surmise that the solution is simple -- if you’re not making money, you shouldn’t fi sh. However, the reality for nearly every Maine lobsterman at this time of year is that you can’t afford not to fi sh – even for a $2.50 lobster. Cash fl ow is a serious issue, and if you’re not fi shing, you have no cash fl ow. As price drops, human nature will push lobstermen to fi sh harder and pray for more lobsters.

I got a bit more of a mixed response from dealers on this crisis. Most have expressed concern over the volume of lobster being landed and worries about the quantity of early shedders. The lobster market is complex between the live and processed sides and dealers vary widely in their connection or access to various segments of the market. This translates into some deal-ers being able to continue to move product, while others struggle to do the same.

So why is the price so low this spring, compared to other years? Remember, it’s not just what’s happening in Maine that we need to think about. Yes, our season was early, and yes, we landed a lot of lobster in June. But that would not have felt like a crisis if the Canadians were not in the midst of record landings this spring. Our neighbors to the north land more lobster than we do in Maine, and the performance of the Canadian fi shery greatly impacts us. Some individual ports in Canada have recorded 30% and 40% increases in landings over last year which means that Canada has already landed a lot of lobster this year! Add to that an early season in Maine and you have a market that is over-supplied with lobster.

In my opinion the overarching reason for this spring’s lobster price is that there is simply too much lobster in the supply chain. I know that many lobstermen don’t believe this, because they do not see signifi cant landings at their dock. But the marketplace is so much bigger and more complex than what happens on any single boat, in any single port, in any single region of the state, or even in the state of Maine as a whole.

When there is an over-supply of lobster, things get tricky for the dealers. Some dealers have ac-cess to multiple product forms – both live and processed – which gives them access to many dif-ferent market outlets. Other dealers are dependent upon a single buyer and so may not be able easily to move their product. In these situations, some may operate at a short-term loss to keep their lob-stermen fi shing. Others will lower the price and use this to undercut their competitors in order to move product. With both lobstermen and dealers doing what they each do best – catching and sell-ing lobster -- the end result is to drive the price down. At some point the price will bottom out, stimulating new demand, leading to more buying of the product.

I think there are two reasons for optimism right now. The Canadian fi shing season ended June 30, which is also the offi cial start of summer in New England. With additional Canadian landings out of the picture until November, the existing Cana-dian lobsters can move through the supply chain. And the infl ux of throngs of tourists to Maine and throughout New England will add much-needed demand to our live market. The law of supply and demand tells us that this should spell some relief for the industry.

As this season settles down, we need to think about what, if any, changes we would like to see moving forward. There has been a lot of talk about potential management changes to help the industry ease into the shedder fi shery rather than jumping in like gangbusters. These are suggested ideas that have come from lobstermen for discus-sion and should not be misinterpreted as MLA’s

agenda. Suggestions include holding off the start of the sea-son, implementing a rolling start to the season, taking additional days off during the week, increasing the gauge size for certain months, and yes, some have even suggested trap reductions. All of these ideas come with pros and cons and none are without controversy. But the lobster industry is long overdue for a dis-cussion about new ideas and what could be achieved through any of them.

Lobstermen do have some options available now through the zone council system – including limiting the number of lobster traps fi shed, when fi shing takes place, and the time of day when lobster fi shing may occur. Such changes would require a referen-dum in the zone in order to propose a rule change to the DMR Commissioner. The process is time-consuming and would not accomplish much unless all of the zones worked together on a cohesive statewide strategy.

Perhaps the most promising effort is currently underway by the Lobster Advisory Council, which recently concluded a series of four meetings throughout the state to talk about launching a marketing program called Project Maine Lobster. The goal is to build global demand for Maine lobster based on a targeted marketing strategy with a $3 million budget. The LAC will meet again on July 18 to continue discussions on this initiative. Project Maine Lobster will not affect this year’s season, or even the next few, yet a comprehensive program to build global demand for Maine Lobster could lead to a stronger boat price and a more stable future for our industry if it moves forward.

I wish there were a magic bullet that I could offer the in-dustry to ensure strong landings and prices. Unfortunately, there is not. I urge you to talk to your dealers about what is going on in the market right now. You should know what your dealer is up against, who he sells to, and ultimately how your product reaches customers. And think about what you can do to ensure that Maine is putting a high quality product into this extremely competitive marketplace.

I welcome your comments and appreciate any constructive suggestions you have to offer.

As always, stay safe on the water

July 2012 MAINE LOBSTERMEN’S ASSOCIATION 3

Don’t touch that trap! Guest ColumnBy Lieutenant Jon Cornish, Maine Marine Patrol

Over the past three to four years, Marine Patrol has received a signifi cant in-crease in requests for shore zone and island lobster trap clean-ups. These re-

quests have come through several organizations, including the State Planning Offi ce, Maine Island Trail Association and many private groups. As most know, Marine Patrol and the Department of Marine Resources (DMR) have also been involved with the offshore derelict lobster trap clean-ups conducted by the Gulf of Maine Lobster Foundation. Several of these have been conducted over the past couple of years. Our role has been to assist with outreach to fi shermen whose traps are retrieved, as well as helping to determine what gear is salvageable and what gear can be recycled safely. In addition, Marine Patrol plays an oversight role to ensure gear is not mishandled and that lobstermen have an opportunity to get their lost gear back.

Gear that is salvageable and is not claimed is taken to our watercraft facility in Rockland, where it is stored for a minimum of thirty days. By law, lobster gear can be discarded or sold once the State has held it for a minimum of thirty days, as long as an effort has been made to reach the owner in the case where traps have tags. In all cases, the entity planning the gear clean-up and/or retrieval is obligated to go through DMR in order to handle traps.

There are several situations in which an individual may come in contact with a lobsterman’s gear unintentionally. The basic rule of thumb is never take into posses-sion a trap that does not belong to you unless you have covered yourself from po-tential prosecution. However, DMR does not want fi shermen to leave recovered lost traps on the bottom when they can be brought to shore. The following are examples of how to accomplish this:

You are dragging for shrimp/herring/groundfi sh/scallops and you hook into a lobsterman’s abandoned trawl and bring it up off the bottom. In this case, Patrol is

fi ne with you hanging onto the lost gear in an effort to return it to the fi sherman. You would need, however, to contact your local Patrol Offi cer or offi ce and let them know you had the gear, or contact the fi sher-man and let him know you have his traps. Otherwise, you run the potential of possession of gear without permission.

You are a lobsterman hauling gear and you pull up lost gear with your traps. The same protocols ex-ist as in the fi rst example. Call Marine Patrol or the fi sherman to ensure you cover yourself. Either bring the gear into the dock or buoy it off for the owner to retrieve later.

You fi nd abandoned traps on the beach with no tags. In this case, you must leave the traps unless you have permission from Marine Patrol to remove them. These traps still belong to someone, and if you were to place your tag in them and fi sh them you would be placing your lobster license and livelihood in serious jeopardy.

You fi nd traps at the local landfi ll and decide to take them because you feel they have been discarded and will just be destroyed otherwise. A very poor decision. Generally lobstermen do not discard usable traps at the landfi ll; therefore, it is likely that someone found them and discarded them there. The bottom line is that they do not belong to you and should be left alone. If you take them and the owner sees you with them, or Marine Patrol gets a complaint and inspects your gear, you may well be placing yourself in a very diffi cult situation.

All traps that you fi sh should be accounted for with a bill of sale, unless you built them yourself and, in that case, can easily identify them. It is essential that fi shermen keep accurate records pertaining to the traps they possess and fi sh. Whenever pos-sible, fi shermen should mark their traps in an inconspicuous manner so that they can always identify them even when tampered with. Refer any trap salvage questions to either your local Marine Patrol Offi cer or to one of the Marine patrol Offi ces located in Boothbay at 633-9595 or Lamoine at 667-3373.

Lieutenant Jon Cornish is head of Division 1 of Maine Marine

Patrol, based in Boothbay Harbor. Photo courtesy of DMR.

Whenever possible, fi shermen should mark their traps in an inconspicuous manner so that they can always

identify them even when tampered with.


By Annie Tselikis

Deer Island, New Brunswick is a seven mile un-bridged island with a year-round population of

600 people. At the head of Passamaquaddy Bay, the island is surrounded by herring weirs and salmon pens – infrastructure that speaks to both the tradition and the future of the local marine economy in the region. After a six hour drive from Portland, a short boat ride from St. Andrews, and a two-mile drive down a bumpy island road, it dawns on me – it was a long journey to get to my destination. There at the end of the road sit two large industrial buildings which constitute East Coast Seafood’s Paturel plant. Situated on a 350-acre property, the Paturel plant processes an average of 17 million pounds of raw product annually and is home to the largest lobster pound in the world. At full capacity the pound can hold a staggering two million pounds of lobster!

I visited Paturel as part of a tour organized at the Lobster Academy, a program offered by East Coast Seafood to increase “the value of Homarus americanus worldwide through quality education”. The ‘students’ in this unusual academy consist of representatives from customers, lobster buyers, shippers and packag-ing industry representatives. My group included buyers for Sobey’s, one of only two national Canadian grocery chains, the lobster buyer for Slade Gorton, East Coast sales representatives from the southeast United States and Spain, product development specialists, a buyer and a chef from a small cruise ship company in the Pacifi c northwest, and a writer from the only fi sh busi-ness magazine in Germany.

I found one of the most striking aspects of the Lobster Academy to be that the people in attendance weren’t solely East Coast’s customers. The goal of the

Lobster Academy is simply to increase the knowledge base about lobsters and the processing system. So, cus-tomer or not, this program provides the people who purchase lobster with an increased understanding of the industry and the product they handle.

Before the tour of the plant, East Coast president Michael Tourkistas explained that the plant, while seemingly far away from major transportation hubs like Boston or Halifax, is strategically located on Deer Island. “We are located in the hub of lobster landings. We can get the best lobster in the world from the dock to our plant within 2.5 hours.” Tourkistas spoke about East Coast’s commitment to the sustainability of lob-ster populations, the Deer Island community, and the environment. He emphasized the company’s commit-ment to raising the industry standard for environmen-

tal responsibility, citing the company’s use of biodiesel for trucking lobsters and the move to 50% solar en-ergy at their Chelsea, Massachusetts freight forwarding facility. In addition, all shell waste from processing is composted or recycled.

The company’s most recent environmental im-provement has been in the area of packaging. The seafood industry has traditionally used a wax-coated cardboard box for shipping, but the waxy fi nish pre-vents the cardboard from being recycled. East Coast has begun using a new box designed by Norampac, a Canadian company that produces a recyclable water-repellant box for perishable refrigerated products.

I witnessed fi rst-hand how seriously Paturel views product quality. Quality control at the plant starts im-mediately when the lobsters are offl oaded from trucks.

Learning by doing at East Coast Seafood’s Lobster Academy

Working the line at East Coast Seafood’s Paturel plant on Deer Isle, New Brunswick. Photo by Annie Tselikis.


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July 2012 MAINE LOBSTERMEN’S ASSOCIATION 5C

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During the Rockland meeting, at which approximately 50 lobstermen and dealers attended, much of the discussion focused on paying for Project Maine Lobster. The plan’s budget calls for $3 million raised over the three-year period, with 25 percent of the money coming from dealers and 75 from lobstermen, based on the current funding formula for the Maine Lobster Promotion Council. Lobstermen would see either an increase in the license fee phased in over three years or a combination of increased license fee and trap tag fees.

Sauve noted that right now individual processors, such as Shucks Maine Lobster and Cozy Harbor Seafood, are doing all they can to promote their individual prod-ucts. But that is not the same as boosting overall generic demand for Maine lobster in the world’s markets. “The processors and buyers don’t have enough weight to move demand for lobster,” he said to the Rockland audience. “No one segment [of the industry] is going to alter the boat price.” The investment made by dealers and processors is what holds demand at its current level. Additional investment in marketing Maine Lobster is needed to boost that demand.

While a few lobstermen questioned the funding mechanism for Project Maine Lobster, the majority noted that the cost per person was modest. “A $500 invest-ment for a $3 million marketing campaign – that’s a great deal,” said Jason Hooper, a lobsterman from South Thomaston. Even some dealers in the audience felt that this strategic plan would help their businesses and thus, they should contribute more money to its success. A straw poll taken at the close of the meeting indicated that most in attendance would be willing to pay around $500 more per year for a strong marketing program.

Many of the approximately 25 lobstermen attending the meeting in Machias were concerned that, no matter how strong a marketing program would be, the fi nancial benefi t would fl ow to the dealers, not to the lobstermen themselves. Sauve countered this opinion, noting that “this is an opportunity for the industry to take control of the identity of its product and feel connected to the market place. The Maine lobster industry has never seen what an effective generic marketing campaign could do.” If this strategic plan works, then lobstermen should experience Fourth of July demand for lobsters throughout the year, he added. It’s all based on supply and demand. Since the supply is high and it’s unlikely that lobstermen will institute management measures to limit supply, then demand must be increased to get a higher price. Dealers will pay more for a product that is in high demand.

The tone at the Ellsworth meeting remained positive despite questions about the plan’s funding. The approximately 80 people in attendance seemed to under-stand quickly Sauve’s statement that if nothing is done, nothing will change. The proposal to include asunset provision in the plan, which means that it would not be another program that goes along forever without a means to end it, seemed to reassure some of those concerned about the increase license or tag fees. As Dwight Carver of Beals said, “For so long we’ve been sitting back. We do nothing and then complain that the prices are low. It’s my responsibility to pay more for this plan to change that.”

The Lobster Advisory Council will meet on July 18 to discuss the feedback from these outreach meetings and consider next steps. If you were unable to attend the meetings, and have feedback to offer, contact Bob Baines at [email protected] or Annie Tselikis at [email protected].

Project Maine Lobster continued from page 1

Lobster Advisory Council chairman Bob Baines opened the meeting in Machias. Annie Tselikis photo.


From the Dock

The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), which has designated the sustainability of over one hundred fi sheries around the globe through its certifi cation pro-

cess, is considered by many to be the standard bearer against which other certifi ers are judged. In today’s global marketplace, many retailers and restaurant chains not only prefer but now expect that their seafood products be certifi ed sustainable.

Because of its rigorous and exhaustive methods, MSC certifi cation can take years from initial assessment to fi nal certifi cation. In fact, the Atlantic Red Crab assessment process took over eight years and Oregon Dungeness crab took seven years. Four years ago, a group of industry stakeholders (The Fund for the Ad-vancement of Sustainable Maine Lobster) began investigating the possibility of ob-taining MSC certifi cation for Maine’s lobster fi shery. They believed the MSC label would be advantageous because of the increasing number of seafood buyers who demand it. They also believed MSC’s traceability requirements could help to differ-entiate Maine Lobster from its competitors.

The Fund continues the MSC process and is making signifi cant progress, but the process is by no means complete. Advocates of MSC certifi cation plan to keep industry informed in all phases of the process, and will conduct outreach with fi shermen and other stakeholders before moving forward. A complete update will be given at the August Lobster Advisory Council Meeting and a full article describing the MSC certifi cation process and what it could mean to Maine’s lobster fi shermen will appear in the August issue of the MLA newsletter. Please stay tuned for what should be an interesting update and possibly very good news for the Maine Lobster industry in the near future.

For questions, please contact John Hathaway at [email protected] or Togue Brawn at [email protected].

Marine Stewardship Council American Ambassador to Thailand, Kristie Kenney, for U.S. and Thai business leaders.

Asia is one of Maine’s key growth areas for trade. Thailand is a market for Maine products, with nearly $6 million in exports last year, but it could import much more. The effort to help strengthen commercial ties and promote Maine exports is the result of outstanding collaboration by the Embassy and the Maine Lobster Promotion Council, the Wild Blueberry Commission of Maine, the Maine International Trade Center, and the Maine Offi ce of Tourism.

Thailand is America’s oldest non-European ally, with a friendship based on trade that dates to 1818, when an American ship visited what was then called Siam with a letter from President James Monroe. In 1833, this friendship was strength-ened by the Treaty of Amity and Commerce.

Our two countries share one of history’s most fascinating stories. In 1861, America was in the midst of a Civil War. The King of Siam, His Majesty King Mongut, offered to send a herd of trained war elephants to aid the Union and the cause of freedom. Abraham Lincoln had to turn down the gift, citing the unsuitable North American climate for the animals, but the kind gesture was not forgotten.

On that foundation of goodwill, the United States and Thailand today cooper-ate on a wide range of issues, including education, public health, security, and, of course, business and trade. Maine plays an important role in the partnership of commerce between our two countries. While Maine is best known for lobster and blueberries, our leading exports to Thailand actually are vaccines for veterinary medicine, coated paper, seaweed-based additives for food and medicine, and com-munications equipment.

The Asian market, however, holds great promise for Maine’s important $350 million lobster industry. With 95 percent of the world’s consumers living outside the United States, we should look for opportunities to introduce Maine Lobster to new marketplaces and to promote the Maine brand. Exports are not likely to replace the domestic market in terms of importance to the industry. But the more buyers who know that the “Product of Maine” label means quality, the better our industry will fare.

Thailand is America’s oldest friend in Southeast Asia. As we strengthen trade, we will not only strengthen our friendship but also continue to grow and create new opportunities for Maine’s lobster industry.

Senator Collins continued from page 1

Certifi cation Update


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“I appreciate everything MLA does. I don’t always agree with everything, but I do understand. The board understands there is no right answer for everyone. We work hard to do what is best for the state.”

Craig StewartLong Island

THE MLA IS HERE FOR YOU

Become a member. Let your voice be [email protected] // www.mainelobstermen.org // 207-967-4555

By Melissa Waterman

Alex Hutchins stands with his hands in his pockets on a mild June day. Before him in a shed at the Boothbay Region Boatyard is the Morning Star, a 36-foot

wooden BHM built in 1980. The boat last belonged to Chad Gamage of South Bristol. Morning Star’s paint is a bit chipped and worn but its sheer makes a pretty curve. Alex, age 27, couldn’t be happier. “I own her outright,” he said with a quick smile. “And she’s a lot easier on my body. It’s a night and day difference with a wooden boat.”

Alex is a busy man. After graduating from Boothbay High School he went to Rhode Island where he studied for an Associate’s degree in marine technology at the New England Institute of Technology. He came back to Maine and worked in a multitude of boatyards, including this one where his father had worked for sixteen years. He now works as the on-call mechanic for Sheepscot Bay Boat Company and a marina in Georgetown. In addition, he started fi shing with the Double Eagle, the 1929 wooden herring carrier berthed in Rockland, three years ago. Now he is

the vessel’s hydraulic engineer, on call 24 hours a day during the her-ring season. His pride in the boat is evident. “The Double Eagle is an absolute Cadillac,” Alex said. “She’s extremely comfortable, and everything is set up extremely well for fi shing.”

In addition, Alex is a lob-sterman. “I’ve been fi shing since I was eight out of Southport,” he explained. “I started after high school with a 26-foot boat and worked here at the yard full-time.” After a year or two he gave up the full-time job – “I didn’t like the forty hours a week, nine to fi ve” – and settled into lobstering. Since he is in Zone E, Alex runs 600 traps in a limited area off South-port Island. “I fi sh in an area about a mile wide and seven miles long with one hundred other boats,” he said ruefully. “Yeah, it’s crowded and getting more so.”

Alex believes that the zone council system instituted in 1996 has actually caused much of that crowding. “It’s the worst thing that they could have done,” he said. “They pushed guys into a corner and now they say ‘that’s my territory’ and that’s it.” He fi shes with his father as his sternman.

He sells his catch to Robinson’s Wharf and gets his bait, mostly herring, po-gies and redfi sh, from Kettle Fish is Boothbay Harbor owned by David Reingardt. “I’ve never had any problem getting bait from David,” Alex said.

In the winter, Alex turned his hand to shrimping. This past winter he went dragging with a friend; the previous winter he tried shrimp trapping. “I hate shrimp trapping,” he said emphatically. “It’s too much like lobstering. I don’t like picking out shrimp on my hands and knees.” So this next winter Alex will be using a new

Alex keeps busy with as a lobsterman, boat mechanic, and shrimping in the winter. Melissa Waterman photo.

Alex’s new boat came all the way from South Bristol. M. Waterman photo. Continued on page 8

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By Melissa Waterman

How to Catch a Lobster in Doewn East Maine hit the bookshelves in May. Written by Christina

Lemieux Oragano, the 160-page book provides a thor-ough look at the art of lobstering in a lesser-known region of Maine.

Christina, 34, grew up in Cutler, the daughter of lobsterman Norbert Lemieux. She began working on her father’s boat during the summer months when she was ten years old. “My father said to us [Christina and her older brother] ‘This is a family business. You are all going to help out,’” she recalled. “I started painting buoys when I was oh, about seven or eight years old.”

Christina attended Washington Academy High School in East Machias before going to Colby College in Waterville. She graduated in 1999 with a double ma-jor in English literature and psychology and then took stock of what to do next. Many of her friends were heading to Boston or other east coast cities but Chris-tina felt the urge to go further from her home territory. “I liked culture,” she explained. “And I fi gured that I

would never have that much freedom again.” So she packed her bags and moved to San Francisco to pursue a career in advertising.

She soon found work and settled into a new world. “It was such an exciting place to be,” Christina said. By 2007 she was transitioning from visual advertising into the expanding fi eld of digital advertising, using blogs, social media sites and other new tools to promote prod-ucts. As part of that shift, she decided to start her own blog. But not just any blog. “I wanted to do something

that others weren’t writing about. And I am passion-ate about lobstering,” she explained. Thus was started “Notes from a Lobster Fishing Village” (http://notes-fromalobsterfi shing village.blogspot.com).

In the meantime, Christina moved from San Fran-cisco to New York City and from there to London as her advertising career blossomed. She fi lled her blog with links to interesting stories about lobsters and Maine lobstermen as well as recipes, tips on how to freeze lobster, and her own comments about the lob-stering world she knows so well. Still, it came as a big surprise when, two months after giving birth to her daughter in 2009, she received an email from The His-tory Press, based in Charleston, South Carolina, ask-ing her to write a book on the history of lobstering. “They sent me a note saying that they liked the blog and would I be interesting in submitting a proposal,” Christina said. “I was still wrapped up in being a new mother but I thought ‘now’s the time.’” She persuaded the company that a book about contemporary lobster-ing would be better received than a lobstering history book and then sat down to the task of research and writing.

“I found that to be very exciting and satisfying,” Christina said. She used information provided by the Department of Marine Resources to determine how many lobstermen were in each port, their average age and even the names of their boats. She drew on the knowledge of Sheila Dassett, head of the Downeast Lobstermen’s Association, to devise a questionnaire sent to 200 lobstermen in that association with a vari-ety of questions pertaining to lobstering. Among those

questions was one asking each lobsterman to rank his satisfaction level from a scale of one to ten, with ten being extremely satisfi ed. Christina was astonished by the response. “Over 60 percent of the fi shermen said that they were extremely satisfi ed with their job,” she said. “They could write in what they liked best about lobstering and nearly everyone said independence or freedom.”

“How to Catch a Lobster in Down East Maine” is now in Barnes and Noble stores across the country as well as a variety of bookstores in the state. Christina has purchased a number of the books herself to sell when she returns to Maine in August. In addition, she has set up a page on Amazon’s Web site to sell her book directly to consumers.

“I think that lobstering today is sort of in its golden age,” Christina noted. “The stock is strong, lobstermen are getting good catches. These are the good years.” She plans to be at the Maine Lobster Festival in Rock-land on August 4th for a book signing event in the marine tent, then in Winter Harbor the next weekend. “This has been very gratifying,” Christina said, refer-ring to completion of her fi rst book. “It’s important to me that the lobstermen feel I’ve told the story well.”

How to Catch a Lobster in Down East Maine

rig on his boat. He has teamed up with Steve Eayrs, a research scientist at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute in Portland, to try out an Australian-de-signed set of doors called bat wings. The doors allegedly reduce bycatch and fuel expense due to their innova-tive shape, which Alex likens to a wind surfer sail set backwards. “We’ll see how that goes,” Alex said.

With his very busy life, Alex hasn’t much time to dwell on issues in the lob-stering world such as new right whale protection rules. What bothers him is common to most lobstermen this year: price. “It’s my biggest gripe,” he com-mented. “Fluctuation in prices is worse here than other places because here you have only one purchaser. Ninety percent of the lobsters in this area go to Cozy Harbor. I think there’s always room for a little competition. It would be a welcome addition to the harbor.”

New recruit continued from page 7

Just a few months after giving birth to her fi rst child, Christina Lemieux Oragano was asked to write a book about Downeast

lobstering. C. Lemieux photo.

“I think that lobstering today is sort of in its golden age...Th ese are

the good years.”

Cutler woman publishes fi rst book


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By Kevin Plowman, U.S. Coast Guard

The Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2010 was signed into law on October 14, 2010 and re-

quires the Coast Guard to develop and implement new safety regulations for commercial fi shing indus-try vessels.

While the new regulations have not yet been writ-ten to implement all of the changes contained in the new law some aspects of the new law have already come into force and others will be coming into force on July 1, 2012.

Construction standards for commercial fi shing vessels of less than 50 feet in length came into force on January 1, 2010. The new construction standards requires all commercial fi shing vessels of less than 50 feet in length meet at least the standards for recre-ational vessels. The construction standards for recre-ational vessels can be found in 33 CFR Part 183 and at http://law.justia.com/cfr/title33/33-2.0.1.8.44.html. Currently recreational vessel standards are in place for:

• Safe loading• Safe powering• Flotation requirements• Electrical systems• Fuel systems• Ventilation• Start in gear protection• Navigation lightsConstruction standards for commercial fi shing

vessel of at least 50 feet in length come into force on July 1. These new standards require that all commer-cial fi shing vessels operating beyond 03 miles from land and built after July 1, 2012 must be surveyed and classed by a recognized classifi cation society, for ex-ample, American Bureau of Shipping, Lloyd’s Regis-ter of shipping, or Det Norske Veritas. Surveying and Classing of your vessel will require close cooperation between the owner, builder and classifi cation society.

The new law requires commercial fi shing vessels 79 feet or more in length and built or substantially altered after July 1, 2012 to be assigned a Load Line. While the requirements for load lines on commercial fi shing vessels is yet to be developed the implementa-tion date is fast approaching.

The new law changes the carriage requirements for primary lifesaving equipment. After January 1, 2015 life fl oats and buoyant apparatus will no lon-ger be accepted for commercial fi shing vessels op-erating beyond 3 nautical miles. When these vessels are required to carry primary lifesaving equipment either an infl atable buoyant apparatus or a life raft, depending on how far offshore they operate, will be required to be carried. With the limited number of authorized life raft servicing facilities here in Maine and New Hampshire the scheduling and servicing of your life raft/infl atable buoyant apparatus will need to be closely coordinated with the servicing facilities.

Additional aspects of the Coast Guard Authoriza-tion Act of 2010 require the Coast Guard to develop and implement new safety regulations. What does this mean to you? If you fi sh inside the 3 nautical

mile line, not much, if you fi sh beyond the 3 nautical mile line there are some signifi cant changes coming your way.

The commercial fi shing vessel safety regulations will be the same whether your vessel is state regis-tered or federally documented and the “line” where additional safety requirements become applicable will no longer be the Boundary Line. The Boundary Line will be replaced with the 3 Nautical Mile Line. This line is clearly displayed on most nautical charts.

Most of the changes affect commercial fi shing vessels operating beyond the 3 nautical mile line. So what are the new requirements for commercial fi sh-ing vessels?

All commercial fi shing vessels operating beyond the 3 nautical mile line will be required to:

• carry a marine radio• carry suffi cient medical supplies for the size

of the vessel and the area of operation• carry adequate ground tackle (anchor)• The operator of a commercial fi shing vessel

operating beyond the 3 nautical mile line will be required to:

• maintain a record of emergency equipment maintenance and a log book of the required drills and safety instructions

Complete a training program and possess a valid certifi cate issued under the program. The training program will include seamanship, stability, collision prevention, navigation, fi re fi ghting and prevention, damage control, personal survival, emergency medi-cal care, emergency drills, and weather. Credit can be given for recent experience in fi shing vessel opera-tions. An individual will be required to complete a re-fresher course every fi ve years.

All commercial fi shing vessels operating beyond the 3 nautical mile line will be required to complete a dockside examination every 2 years and possess a valid Certifi cate of Compliance.

The Act also establishes a Fishing Safety Train-ing Grants Program and a Fishing Safety Research Grants Program.

The Coast Guard is working to complete this rulemaking, but the process takes time and includes public notice, time to receive comments, and time to implement the new regulations. The Final Rule will state when specifi c requirements will take effect and could provide for phase-in periods for fi shing vessel owners/operators to bring their vessels into compliance. In conclusion, new regulations are com-ing; some are already here. Stay informed and work within your industry groups to help steer the course of these changes.

Coast Guard safety measures increase

Lobstermen can call commercial fi shing vessel safety examiner Kevin Plowman at 207-780-3256 or 207-899-6278 or email at [email protected] with any questions or to schedule a free dockside exam-ination.

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By Sarah Paquette

Fishermen are not, as a rule, known for being coop-erative. Yet the success of many fi shing industry

organizations in Maine suggests that people have been able to put their differences aside and come together as a voice for their particular fi shery. Just this spring, a new shrimp association formed to give shrimp trappers a stronger voice.

Stephanie Pinkham, the founder and executive director of the Maine Shrimp Trappers Association (MSTA), said the association was formed after the shrimp season this past year was cut short by the At-lantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC).

“This year ASMFC divided trappers and trawlers. They didn’t do it on purpose, but we ended up not having a season because of it,” she said. Shrimp trappers be-gan their season on February 1 and then were closed down when the total allowable catch limit was reached on February 17.

“Trappers felt like they were sold out. We couldn’t go out until February 1 and had a trip limit of a thou-sand pounds a day. We only got 17 days,” said MSTA member Arnie Gamage of South Bristol. He said trap-pers were given a trip limit of one thousand pounds a day while trawlers had no catch limit, just a time limit each day they went out. “When we could go out, the weather was nasty. I got out thirteen out of the sev-enteen days.” But, he said, it was probably what the shrimp trappers deserved since not many people at-tended meetings when the catch limit was set.

“Johnny Seiders and I were the only two trappers at the October meeting held to set the season. We got what was handed to us. We really needed to organize and get a voice at the meetings,” Gamage said. Pinkham said she got encouragement from Terry Stockwell from the Department of Marine Resources to orga-nize a group of trappers. “Now we have representation at meetings. Timmy Simmons [MSTA president] just met with the governor,” Gamage said with pride. He said the group is not against shrimp trawlers, they just want to be treated fairly and have a chance to fi sh. “Just because we are also lobstermen doesn’t mean we trap shrimp for fun. It’s part of our income.”

“The association is great. The current board is full of energy. It’s still new to them. They are travelling around the state, taking money out of their own pock-ets to do so. That’s why I want to see the membership grow – it costs money to travel,” Gamage said with experience from serving as director to the Maine Lob-

stermen’s Association. Jeffrey Peirce, executive director and founder of the

Alewife Harvesters of Maine said they, too, formed to give the fi shery a stronger voice in the management process. “We started in February 2007. We were driven by Amendment 2 [to the Interstate Fishery Manage-ment Plan]. I got a letter in the mail from ASMFC that said ‘Dear former alewife harvester’. It was a wake-up call,” Peirce said. The amendment would have closed the fi shery on January 1, 2012 unless a sustainable management plan was developed and submitted for approval by January 1, 2010.

“After that I attended a meeting about the amend-ment. I found out there had been two others in the state, but they were not well publicized,” Peirce said. “We got a group of 50 people to attend the next meet-ing. If we hadn’t gone, or if there were only three of us, we probably wouldn’t have had a fi shery. We needed to show the state that we care.”

Tim Simmons, left, president of the new Maine Shrimp Trappers Association and association vice-president George Gilbert.

Stephanie Pinkham photo.


A short trapping season for Pandulis borealis this winter prompted creation of a new fi shery organization. NOAA photo.


Lobster Academy continued from page 4

A protein test, which examines the blood sugar level of the lobster, is administered as well as a shell test. On a scale of 1 to 30, any lobster with a blood sugar level above 10 rates as a shippable lobster. Lobsters are then packed for shipment to Europe, the United States or Canada. After being graded and boxed, the lobsters are trucked to East Coast’s freight forwarding facility in Chelsea, Massachusetts and shipped from Logan Airport in Boston around the world. Lobsters can reach Eu-rope within three days.

Lobsters slated for processing move from the live building to the processing building where they undergo another series of quality checks before being sized and graded for quality. The higher quality product is cooked whole and frozen. The steamer is a behemoth computer operated machine that sits in a room the size of a tennis court. Lesser quality product is butchered and the tails, claws and knuckles make their way down the line. Tails are fresh frozen, while claws and knuckles are cooked and separated to be processed for claw and knuckle meat or into individually quick frozen (IQF) claw and arm “crack and eat” products.

Clad in hair nets, booties, white coats and gloves, our tour moved onto the pro-cessing fl oor and I was surprised by both the similarities and differences from plants I have toured in Maine. The Maine processors are located close to Portland where they have good workforce access. The fl oors of the Maine plants are multicultural melting pots where hand washing station signs appear in both English and Spanish, speaking to the high level of Latino workers. I was expecting it to be different in Canada, especially on such a tiny island. Instead, I found groups of Filipino men managing claws coming out of the cooker and cracking the shells in preparation for picking. Trays of cracked claws are stacked and then move over to the picking line and transit a conveyor belt surrounded by a mix of Deer Island residents and Filipino women. On the day that we were there, their fast hands worked to separate claw and knuckle meat that is then bagged, vacuum packed and frozen.

I ask the head of quality control, Jamie Olsen, what it’s like shifting to Maine Lobster in the spring. “It’s a nightmare for the Maine season”, Olsen said. His ex-planation shocked me. I suspected that processing soft shells was different than for hard shells, but it was eye opening to hear him refer to it as a “nightmare”. He con-tinued, “We have to be really careful with the shells and increase our quality control steps in processing.” Olsen told me that because the meat yield is lower in soft shell lobsters, extra workers are added on the line because more lobsters must be picked to reach one pound of meat. And shedder lobster shells shatter more than hard shell lobsters, so they place six more people onto the inspection line. I knew that much of Maine’s cull and soft shedder product went to Canada for processing, but I had no

idea of the extra costs associated with processing Maine’s product. “And when we shift from hard shell product to processing soft shell product,

sometimes we get complaints from our customers. The soft shell lobsters have a different presentation [in food service and restaurant sectors], and we have to ex-plain to them that the quality changes throughout the year,” Olsen explained. “But it tastes sweeter.”

One thing that I love about my job with the MLA is the opportunity to learn about different sectors of the lobster industry. Since I am most familiar with the harvesting side of the industry, discovering the different components of the supply chain is truly eye-opening. Seeing such a large-scale lobster processing facility fi rst hand and how the infrastructure works to move lobsters into the marketplace pro-vides insight on both the successes and the limitations of the product from Maine. We really need to know our product and understand the marketplace. This will help us to make informed decisions on how to build demand for a variety of quality Maine Lobster products.

Many hands at work picking lobster. Annie Tselikis photo.

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ACCOUNTANTS

Williams CPA Group LLCPO Box 839Rockport, ME 04856 207-236-8781

AUTOMOTIVE

Eastern Tire & Auto Service70 Park StRockland, ME 04841207-594-5250www.easterntireinc.com

Harold C Ralph ChevroletSteve RalphPO Box AWaldoboro, ME 04572 [email protected]

Hews Company LLC190 Rumery StSouth Portland, ME 04106207-767-2136 / [email protected]

Island Fishing Gear & Auto PartsPO Box 292Stonington, ME 04681207-367-5959 [email protected]

Morrison Chevrolet/Fisher Plow Distributor121 Downeast HighwayEllsworth, ME 04605 877-523-6118www.morrisonchevrolet.com

Newcastle Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep573 Rt. 1Newcastle, ME 04553207-563-8138 / 888-944-5337rmiller@newcastlemotorcars.comwww.newcastlemotorcars.com15% all parts and service to MLA mem-bers with card. Not to be combined with other offers.

Weirs Motor Sales Inc1513 Portland RdArundel, ME 04046207-985-3537 [email protected] www.weirsgmc.com

BAIT DEALERS

Alfred OsgoodPO Box 358Vinalhaven, ME 04863207-863-2518 [email protected]

Bessy Bait LLC155 R Batchelder RdSeabrook, NH 03874603-300-2846 / 603-300-2849 [email protected] www.bessybait.com

Bait Man Co. LLCAl WestPO Box 69Prospect Harbor, ME 04669207-632-7267 [email protected]

Cape Porpoise Lobster Co Inc184 Beachwood AveKennebunkport, ME 04046207-967-0900 [email protected]

Channel Fish Co370 East Eagle StEast Boston, MA 02128617-569-3200lou@channelfi shco.com

Dropping Springs Lobster & Bait Co.Anthony Robinson6A Portland Fish PierPortland ME, 04101207-272-6278 207-518-9049

Lunds Fisheries Inc.David Brand 997 Ocean Dr.Cape May, NJ 08204 609-884-7600dbrand@lundsfi sh.comwww.lundsfi sh.com

New England Fish Co. Suzannah Raber, Gage Ashbaug446 Commercial St.Portland, ME 04101207-253-5626 [email protected] www.raberfi sheries.com

O’Hara Corportation120 Tillson AveRockland, ME 04841 207-594-0405 [email protected]

Purse Line Bait32 Bakers Wharf RdSebasco Estates, ME 04565207-389-9155 [email protected]

Superior Bait and SaltGlenn Hall21 Balsam LaneTenants Harbor, ME 04860207-372-8925

Worcesters Lobster BaitBruce Worcester259 Bowden Point RdProspect, ME 04981 [email protected]

BOAT BUILDERS/BOAT REPAIR

SW BoatworksStewart Workman358 Douglas HighwayLamoine, ME [email protected]

Wesmac Custom BoatsPO Box 56Surry, ME 04684 207-667-4822 [email protected] www.wesmac.com2% discount on fi berglass components

DOCUMENTATION SERVICE

Coastal Documentation111 Dennision RdSpruce Head, ME 04859 [email protected]; www.coastaldocumentation.com

Northeast Marine Survey, IncPO Box 231Bailey Island, ME 04003 207-833-0954 [email protected]% off the commercial rate

EDUCATION AND TRADE SHOWS

Diversifi ed Business CommunicationsPO Box 7437Portland, ME 04112 207-842-5500 [email protected] www.divbusiness.com

Mount Desert OceanariumPO Box 696Southwest Harbor, ME 04679207-288-5005 [email protected] admission to MLA members

Maine Fishermens ForumPO Box 288Bath, ME 04530 207-442-7700 chilloa@mefi shcoop.org

Maine Maritime MuseumAmy Lent243 Washington StreetBath, ME [email protected] admission to MLA members

Penobscot Marine Museum5 Church StSearsport, ME 04974 207-548-2529Show your MLA card for free entry

Seafood.com News8 White Pine LaneLexington, MA 02421 [email protected]

ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT

Bell Power Systems Inc.Bob Tokarczyk34 Plains RdEssex, CT 06426860-767-7502 / 800-225-8669www.bellpower.com

Blackmore ElectronicsBlaine BlackmorePO Box 82Stonington, ME [email protected]

Pete’s Marine Electronics101 Washington RdWaldoboro, ME 04572 207-350-2500 [email protected]

Midcoast Marine Electronics532 Main St.Rockland, ME 04841207-691-3993 www.midcoastmarine.com

Sawyer & Whitten Marine36 Union Wharf #9Portland, ME 04101 207-879-4500

Sawyer & Whitten Marine 118 Tillson AveRockland, ME 04841207-594-7073 [email protected]

FINANCIAL & INVESTMENT SERVICES

Damariscotta Bank & Trust Co25 Main StDamariscotta, ME 04543 207-563-8121 [email protected]

Farm Credit of Maine ACA615 Minot AveAuburn, ME 04210207-784-0193 800-831-4230robert.horne@farmcreditmaine.comwww.farmcreditmaine.com

Maine Financial GroupJim Amabile15 Pleasant Hill RdScarborough, ME 04074207-885-5900 800-974-9995j.amabile@mainefi nancialgroup.com

Rockland Savings BankHarry Mank582 Maine StreetRockland, ME 04841 207-594-8465www.rocklandsavingsbank.com

The FirstPO Box 940Damariscotta, ME 04543207-563-3195 / [email protected] rst.com

FISHING, MARINE & INDUSTRIAL SUPPLIES All Points MarinePO Box 543Narragansett, RI 02882 [email protected] www.apmco.usDiscounts available to MLA members

Bath Lobster Supply340 State Rd, Suite BWest Bath, ME 04530207-386-3225www.brookstrapmill.com

buoysticks.com3628 Turner Ridge RdSomerville, ME 04348 207-549-7204 [email protected]

Chase Leavitt & Co.72 Commercial St.Portland, ME [email protected]

Grundens USA LtdPO Box 2068Poulsbo, WA 98370360-779-4439 / [email protected] www.grundens.com

Guy Cotten, Inc782 South Water StNew Bedford, MA 02740508-997-7075 / [email protected]

Hamilton Marine155 E Main StSearsport, ME 04974207-548-2985

100 Fore St.Portland, ME 04101207-774-1772

20 Park Dr.Rockland, ME 04841207-594-8181 / [email protected] www.hamiltonmarine.comDiscounts for MLA members

Island Fishing Gear & Auto PartsPO Box 292Stonington, ME 04681 [email protected]

Jeff ’s Marine, Inc2 Brooklyn HeightsPO Box 236Thomaston, ME 04861 207-354-8777 [email protected]

Logtek IncTim Bourque & James Roy (ME sales)Box 98, RR 2Tusket, NS BOW 3M0 Canada207-510-1763 / [email protected] [email protected]

Maine Coast Petroleum, IncPO Box 295Tenants Harbor, ME 04860207-372-6962 [email protected]

Midcoast Marine Supply153 New County RdThomaston, ME 04861207-594-0011 [email protected]

Neptune Inc39 Slater StAttleboro, MA 02703508-222-8313 / [email protected]

Neptune Marine Products IncPO Box 2068Port Townsend, WA 98368206-789-3790 www.neptunemarineproducts.com

New England Marine & Industrial Inc.200 Spaulding TurnpikePortsmouth, NH 03801603-436-2836 / [email protected]

North Atlantic PowerSam Profi o15 Continental Dr.Exeter, NH 03833603-418-0470 sprofi [email protected]% off all service repairs

Polyform US7030 S 224thKent, WA 98032253-872-0300 [email protected]

Promens Saint JMike KilpatrickPO Box 2087Saint John, NB E800-567-3966/[email protected]

Spongex LLCJames Welch3002 Anaconda Tarboro, NC [email protected]

Superior Marine 15 Murray DriveRaymond, ME 0207-655-4492 superioroffi [email protected]

WD Matthews M901 Center StreetAuburn, ME 042207-784-9311 [email protected]

Vessel Services In1 Portland Fish PPortland, ME 04vesselservices.com,v

Viking Wet WeatR. Scott EdwardsAlliance Mercant2557 Park RoadLake Oswego, [email protected]

HYDRAULICS

All Points MarineDavid Allard330 Great IslandNarragansett, RI 401-284-4044/[email protected] ww

Coastal HydraulicPO Box 2832Seabrook, NH 0603-474-1914 sales@coastalhyd10% discount on al

Cushing Diesel, L26 Spear Mill RdCushing, ME 04354-0600, cell 54diesedave6312@y

Hews Company L190 Rumery StSouth Portland, M207-767-2136 / [email protected]

Lonnie’s Hydraul227 Middlesex RTopsham, ME 0207-725-7552

Marine Hydraulic17 Gordon DrRockland, ME 0207-594-9527 marinhyd@midc

INDUSTRY ORGANIZAT

Gulf of Maine LPO Box 523Kennebunk, ME207-985-8088 erwww.gomlf.org


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[email protected]

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TIONS Lobster Foundation

E [email protected]

Island Fishermen’s WivesPO Box 293Stonington, ME 04681207-367-5579 [email protected]

Island InstitutePO Box 648Rockland, ME 04841 207-594-9209 [email protected]

Maine Import/Export Dealers AssociationPO Box 10228Portland, ME 04104 207-775-1612lobsters@newmeadowslobster.comwww.mainelobsterdealers.com

Maine Lobster Promotion Council2 Union St.Portland, ME 04101207-541-9310 [email protected]

Maine Port Authority16 State House StationAugusta, ME 04333207-624-3560 [email protected]

Maine Sea Grant5784 York Complex, Bldg 6Orono, ME 04469 [email protected]

Penobscot Bay & River Pilots AssnJeffrey Cockburn18 Mortland Rd.Searsport, ME 04984 207-548-1077 [email protected]

Penobscot East Resource CenterPO Box 27Stonington, ME 04681207-367-2708 [email protected] www.penobscoteast.org

INSURANCE Allen Insurance and FinancialChris Guptill34-36 Elm St., PO Box 578Camden, ME 04847207-263-4311 [email protected] nancial.com

Atlantic Insurance & Benefi ts58 High StBelfast, ME 04915207-338-9787 / 800-948-1457info@atlantic-insurance.comwww.atlantic-insurance.com

Chapman & ChapmanPO Box1030Damariscotta, ME 04543207-563-3143 / [email protected]

The Compass Insurance GroupPaul MinerPO Box 880Waldoboro, ME 04572 207-790-2300paulminer@compassinsgroup.comwww.lobsterboatinsurance.com

InSphere Insurance SolutionsRick WilliamsPO Box 74Prospect Harbor, ME 04669207-963-4111 [email protected]

Smithwick & Mariners Insurance366 US Route OneFalmouth, ME 04105207-781-5553 [email protected] Discounted vessel insurance for MLA members. Additional 5% discount if Coast Guard-approved Fishing Vessel Drill Con-ductor course completed within 5 years.

LEGAL SERVICES Doyle & Nelson150 Capitol StAugusta, ME 04330 [email protected]

Howard and BowieClayton HowardPO Box 460Damariscotta, ME 04543 207-563-3112

Nicholas H Walsh PAPO Box 7206Portland, ME 04112207-772-2191 [email protected] www.nicholas-walsh.com25% off hegal services to MLA members

LOBSTER/SEAFOOD/WHOLESALE/RETAIL

Atlantic Edge Lobster71 Atlantic AveBoothbay Harbor, ME 04538207-633-2300 [email protected]

Atwood Lobster CoPO Box 202 Island RdSpruce Head, ME 04859207-596-6691 www.atwoodlobster.com

Bayleys Lobster PoundPO Box 304Scarborough, ME 04070207-883-4571 [email protected] www.bayleys.com

Beals Jonesport Coop Inc.PO Box 195Jonesport, ME [email protected]

BBS Lobster Trap188 Pettegrow Point RdMachiastport, ME 04655207-255-8888

Calendar Islands Maine Lobster LLC6A Portland Fish PierPortland, ME [email protected] www.calendarislandsmainelobster.com

Canobie Seafoods, Inc1077 Bar Harbor RdTrenton, ME 04605207-667-2250 [email protected]

Cape Porpoise Lobster Co Inc184 Beachwood AveKennebunkport, ME 04046207-967-0900 [email protected]

Captain Dutch Lobster Co.PO Box 393South Thomaston, ME [email protected]

Chrisanda Corp.9 Ferry RdLewiston, ME [email protected]

Conary Cove Lobster Co Inc83 Conary Cove RdDeer Isle, ME 04627207-348-6185

Cooks Lobster HousePO Box 12Bailey Island, ME 04003 [email protected]

Corea Lobster CooperativePO Box 99Corea, ME 04624 [email protected]

Cozy Harbor Seafood IncPO Box 389Portland, ME 04112207-879-2665 [email protected]

Craig’s All Natural25 Winecellar Rd.Durham, NH [email protected]

Cranberry Isles Fishermens CoopPO Box 258Islesford, ME 04646207-244-5438

F W Thurston Co IncPO Box 178Bernard, ME 04612207-244-3320

Finest Kind Scenic CruisesPO Box 1828Ogunquit, ME 03907207-646-5227 [email protected] nestkindcruises.com

Fishermen’s Heritage Lobster CoopPO Box 359Friendship, ME 04547207-832-6378

Friendship Lobster CoopPO Box 307Friendship ME 04547207-832-4435

Garbo LobsterPO Box 334Hancock, ME 04640207-422-3217 [email protected]

Georgetown Fishermen’s Coop89 Moores TpkeGeorgetown, ME 04548

Glens Lobster Co12 Abner Point RdBailey Island, ME 04003207-833-6138 [email protected]

Graffam Brothers Seafood MarketPO Box 340Rockport, ME 04856 [email protected] www.lobsterstogo.com

Hannaford Brothers145 Pleasant Hill Rd.Scarborough, ME [email protected]

Holden Seafood Corporation93 E 7th StreetNew York, NY 10009 212-387-8487 [email protected]

HR Beal & Sons Inc182 Clark Point RdSouthwest Harbor, ME 04679207-244-3202 [email protected]

Interstate Lobster IncPO Box 269Harpswell, ME 04079 207-833-5516

Island Seafood, LLC32 Brook RdEliot, ME 03903207-439-8508 [email protected]

‘Keag Store4 Elm St, PO Box 76S. Thomaston, ME 04858 207-596-6957

Kent’s Wharf31 Steamboat HillSwans Island, ME 04685207-526-4186 [email protected]

Kips Seafood Co117 River RdCushing, ME 04563 207-354-8997

Lake Pemaquid IncPO Box 967Damariscotta, ME 04543207-563-5202 [email protected]

Linda Bean’s Maine LobsterPO Box 368Rockland, ME 04841 207-975-2502 [email protected]

Little Bay Lobster Inc158 Shattuck WayNewington, NH 03801 [email protected]

Lobster Products Inc64 Tidal Falls RdHancock, ME 04640 207-422-6238 [email protected]

Millers Wharf Lobster LLCPO Box 486Tenants Harbor, ME 04860207-372-8637

Muscongus Bay Lobster28 Landing RdRound Pound, ME [email protected]

New England Fish Co. Suzannah Raber, Gage Ashbaug446 Commercial St.Portland, ME 04101207-253-5626 [email protected] www.raberfi sheries.com

New Harbor Co-opLinda VannahPO Box 125New Harbor, ME 04554207-677-2791 [email protected]

Orion Seafood International20 Ladd St.Portsmouth, NH 03801 603-433-2220 [email protected]

Pemaquid Fishermen’s CoopPO Box 152New Harbor, ME 04554207-677-2801 [email protected]

PJ Lobster CompanyAlan Leck, Jonathan Seavey399 Northern AveBoston, MA 02210 [email protected]

Port Clyde Fishermen’s CoopPO Box 103Port Clyde, ME 04855 207-372-8922

Port Lobster Co IncPO Box 729Kennebunkport, ME 04046207-967-2081 [email protected]

Portland Shellfi sh Co, Inc.92 Waldron WayPortland, ME 04103207-799-9290 info@pshellfi sh.comwww.pshellfi sh.com

Post Brothers IncPO Box 541Rockland, ME 04841 207-594-5824

Highliner business members are noted in BOLD.


Quahog Lobster Inc5 Lobster LaneHarpswell, ME 04079207-725-6222 [email protected]

Ready SeafoodHobson’s WharfPortland, ME 04112 207-541-3672 [email protected] www.readyseafood.com

Open Ocean Trading LLCKeith Flett30 Western AveGloucester, MA 01930 [email protected]

Rome Packing Co., Inc.Adam S. LaGreca2266 Pawtucket AvenueEast Providence, RI 02914401-228-7170 [email protected]

Seaview Lobster Co.PO Box 291Kittery, ME 03904207-439-1599 [email protected]

Sea Hag Seafood48 Wallston Rd.Tenants Harbor, ME 04860207-691-5391 [email protected]

Shengfei Trading Co.Anson Chen11974 Lebanon Rd, Suite 124Cincinnati, OH [email protected]

Shucks Maine Lobster150 Main St, Suite 4Richmond, ME 04357207-737-4800 [email protected]

South Bristol Fishermen’s Co-opBrenda BartlettPO Box 63South Bristol, ME [email protected]

Spruce Head Fishermen’s Coop275 Island RdSouth Th omaston, ME 04858207-594-7980

Stonington Lobster CoopPO Box 87Stonington, ME 04681 [email protected]

Swans Island Fishermens CoopPO Box 116Swans Island, ME 04685207-526-4327 [email protected]

Vinalhaven Fishermens Coop11 Main St, Box 366Vinalhaven, ME 04863 [email protected]

Weathervane Seafoods Inc31 Badgers Island WestKittery, ME 03904 207-439-0920www.weathervaneseafoods.com

Winter Harbor Fishermen’s Coop23 Pedleton Rd.Winter Harbor, ME 04693 [email protected]

MARINE ENGINES All Points MarinePO Box 543Narragansett, RI 02882 401-284-4044 [email protected] www.apmco.usDiscounts available to MLA members

Bell Power34 Plains Rd.Essex, CT 06426. 860-767-7502/[email protected]

Cummins Northeast, LLCGeorge Menezes10 Gibson Rd.Scarborough, ME 04074 [email protected]

Milton CatPO Box 960Scarborough, ME 04070 [email protected]

Northern Lights/Lugger8 Connector RdAndover, MA 01810978-475-7400 / [email protected]

NEWSPAPERS

Commercial Fisheries NewsPO Box 600Deer Isle, ME 04627207-348-1057/800-989-5253sjones@fi sh-news.com Discounted annual subscription

Fishermen’s VoicePO Box 253Gouldsboro, ME 04607 207-963-7195

National Fisherman121 Free St.Portland, ME 04112

PROPELLERS

Accutech Marine Propeller Inc.24 Crosby Rd Unit 6Dover, NH 03820 603-617-3626 [email protected] www.accutechmarine.com20% off propeller repair to MLA members. Discounts for new propellers, shafting, hardware.

Nautilus Marine Fabrication, Inc.13 Industrial WayTrenton, ME 04605 [email protected]

New England Propeller Inc.9 Apollo Eleven RdPlymouth, MA 02360 508-747-6666 [email protected], www.neprop.com

REAL ESTATE Megunticook Real EstateEd Glover19 Birds Loop RdOwls Head, ME 04854 207-504-7606 [email protected] www.coastalmainere.com

REFRIGERATION SERVICES

Applied Refrigeration Services7C Commons AvenueWindham, Maine 04062 [email protected]; www.appliedrefrigeration.com$250 off new installations

RESTAURANTS

Barnacle Billys IncPO Box 837Ogunquit, ME 03907 207-646-5575 [email protected] www.barnbilly.com

Bowdoin College Dining Services3700 College StationBrunswick, ME 04011207-725-3432 [email protected]

Cod End, LLCSusan MillerPO Box 224Tenants Harbor, ME 04860 [email protected] www.codend.com10% off Cook House and Market

Newick’s Hospitality Group, Inc431 Dover Point RdDover, NH 03820603-742-3205 www.newicks.com

Phil’s Lobster Roll ShopShelly McLellanPO Box 578Boothbay, ME 04532

Th e Clam Shack Steve KingstonPO Box 6200Kennebunkport, ME 04046207-967-3321 [email protected]

SAFETY TRAINING McMillan Offshore Survival TrainingPO Box 411Belfast, ME 04915 207-338-1603jmcmillan@mcmillanoffshore.comwww.mcmillanoffshore.com

SALT Maine Salt Company677 Coldbrook RdHermon, ME 04401 207-848-3796 [email protected] www.mainesalt.com

Superior Bait and Salt Glenn Hall21 Balsam LaneTenants Harbor, ME 04860 207-372-8925

TRAP BUILDERS STOCK & SUPPLIES All Points MarinePO Box 543Narragansett, RI 02882 [email protected] www.apmco.usDiscounts available to MLA members

Branch Brook Farm Ralph Dean26 Sawmill LaneThomaston, ME 04861207-354-8123 [email protected]

Brooks Trap Mill211 Beechwood StTh omaston, ME 04861207-354-8763 [email protected]

Eaton Trap Co Inc12 Birchwood RdWoolwich, ME 04579207-443-3617 [email protected]

Friendship Trap Company570 Cushing RdFriendship, ME 04547207-354-2545 800-451-1200mikew@friendshiptrap.comwww.friendshiptrap.comDiscounts from 5 -10% depending onproduct for MLA members who show their card.

Portland Trap26-28 Union WharfPortland, ME 04101 [email protected]

Sea Rose Trap Co137 Pleasant Hill Rd.Scarborough, ME 04074207-730-2063 [email protected]

TRUCK REPAIR/LEASING Cushing Diesel, LLC26 Spear Mill RdCushing, ME 04563 354-0600, (c) 542-5399 [email protected].

Howling Hill TransportationPO Box 20Bucksport, ME 04416207-460-0134 [email protected].

Wa2much TruckingGreg HolmesPO Box 354Tenants Harbor, ME 04860 [email protected]

“I’m getting to be one of the older guys out there, so

young guys f ishing. The industry should belong to

Why should you be an MLA member? Ask the Directors.

Apply today! Fill out the application on page 2, call 967-4555 or email [email protected].


Th e Art of Fishing: Many generations pursue Gulf tunaBy April Gilmore

The Gilliam family from Phippsburg has many collective years in the tuna fi shing business. Eric

Gilliam, 40, of West Point has been fi shing alongside his family all his life. Although the Gilliam family has worked in other fi sheries, from shrimping to ground-fi shing, catching tuna is something Eric, uncle Glen, 62, and grandfather Merle Gilliam, 84, all have a great passion for. “I grew up going with my grandfather [tuna fi shing] until I started going on my own ten or eleven years ago,” Eric said. He remembers hearing stories of his great-grandfather Oscar, who landed over 6,000 pounds of tuna in one day at the annual Bailey’s Island Fishermen’s Club Tuna fi shing derby in 1952. Merle Gilliam has a photo album full of old pho-tos and newspaper clippings of his father.

“If you know there’s been a lot of feed in the gen-eral area then that would probably be one of the fi rst places that you would check,” Eric said about knowing where to fi nd the fi sh. “It used to be that you could fol-low the gulls, but you don’t see it so much now.” Merle recalls a time when a fi sherman could follow schools of herring to the tuna. Brit are baby herring. “The tuna fi sh would go along underneath the brit and scare them up to the top of the water. They weren’t feeding on them, just scaring them up,” Merle said. He remembers fi shing from his boat the Dotti G, a 34-foot WestPoint-er. One day in the late 1940s he brought home twelve tuna. “The boat was quite full,” he said drily.

Glen also recalls a time when tuna fi shing was much different than today. “When I was a kid you’d go a lot of times during the summer,” he said. “Mainly what you’d do is on the real good days, you’d go harpoon-ing. On the bad days you would go and try to hook them. Because in order to go harpooning you need a real calm, fl at day,” he said.

All three Gilliam men agree that things have changed today. “The last few years I don’t think I’ve gone more than eight or ten times during the summer due to the fact that there are a lot of small fi sh around,” Eric said. “It’s changed drastically even from fi ve or six years ago, let alone compared to when they were younger,” he said referring to his father and grandfather’s genera-tion. “In the 90’s the price was good. You’d have up to fi fteen buyers down on the wharf every night. Now I think they say there are only fi ve buyers for the whole east coast. Sometimes there would be sixty fi sh on the wharf that they would be bidding on,” Eric said. “Years ago they called Mackerel Cove the heart of tuna fi sh-ing. We caught more over here than they ever thought of,” his grandfather added.

The best part about tuna fi shing to the Gilliams is the thrill of harpooning. “The money’s good when you get it, but the biggest part is the thrill of doing it,” Glen said. Merle agreed. “I helped catch them for one cent a pound,” he explained. “The money wasn’t that impor-tant. But you made a living at it.”

Tuna fi shing is fading away as a common summer fi shery for most commercial fi shermen. Eric feels it’s important for the younger generation to appreciate the generations of fi shermen who pursued the migratory fi sh in years past. He looks forward to teaching his fi ve-year-old daughter Annika how to get out there and fi sh. At this young age she already has fi ve of her own lob-ster traps in the water.

The Weiner family from Ogunquit also has many years in the tuna fi shery. Steve, 59, and his sons, Ben, 24, and Chris, 30, all have their part in the family tuna fi shing business. They work from their 38-foot boat, the Elizabeth Ames, which is specially rigged for tuna fi shing. “It really gets on them good,” Chris said about the boat. “All three of us can do everything. Most of the time I’m harpooning, my brother is spotting and my Dad is driving,” Chris said about the team. “Har-pooning is really only a small part of it, everyone does something important.”

Fishing for tuna is all weather dependant. “The bet-ter the weather, the better the chances,” Chris said. But nice weather doesn’t always mean good harpooning. “Tuna are really picky, even if it is blowing only a cou-ple knots, they may not act right simply because they do not like the direction of the wind,” he said. “You can be out there on a day that looks perfect and the fi sh won’t come to the surface. But all of this is part of the draw of fi shing for bluefi n,” Chris said.

Other environmental factors impact harpooning, as well. “We pay very close attention to the water depth and temperature,” he said. They seem to fi nd most tuna in the clear, warm, deep offshore water.

The key to catching tuna is to locate them up at the surface. “The amount of bait is also key, with herring, mackerel, sand eels and squid being the most impor-

tant. Having a lot of bait around is critical to having a good fi shery off Maine,” he said.

Throwing a harpoon is no easy matter either. The harpooner must know how it will travel through the water. “My dad is really skilled at that,” Chris said. He learned how to harpoon from his father’s many years of experience. The Weiners go tuna fi shing with a 12-foot aluminum electric harpoon which is thrown manually. There is a wire running through the line into the dart, and the person driving the boat will hit a but-ton from the tower and shock the fi sh. The fi sh usually stops dead in its tracks, the shock immediately killing the fi sh. This method allows the men to get the fi sh in

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Four generations of a fi shing family. From left, Glen Gilliam, Eric Gilliam, Annika Gilliam and Merle Gilliam.

Photo by April Gilmore.


To harpoon a tuna requires a calm day, patience and tremendous coordination. Photo by Ben Weiner.


Shrimp trappers continued from page 10

Right now, the biggest issue alewife harvesters are facing is the potential for the fi sh to be listed as an endangered species. “They could be listed as threatened or endangered in part of the country. We wouldn’t have an industry if they are listed,” Peirce said from Gloucester, Massachusetts where he was attending a meeting about the health of the alewife stock. He emphasized that the alewife harvesters are inextricably linked to Maine’s lob-stermen. “If it weren’t for the lobstermen, there wouldn’t be alewife harvesters. We supply them with bait, they supply us with income.”

The organization’s goal is to conserve alewives and the river-fi shing heritage of Maine. Attending meetings to represent harvesters is one way the group works to accomplish its goal. “We mail out information to our members, have a Web site with information posted regularly, and make phone calls to inform people about important events and changes in policy,” Peirce said.

The Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association also works to give a voice to the few ground fi shermen left in the state. The association, formally the Mid Coast Fishermen’s Association, not only makes sure fi shermen are aware of policy changes and

issues, but also works with fi shermen on business planning and management. “We’ve done a lot of work with the Island Institute and the Nature Conservancy as well,” added executive director Ben Martens.

The association was formed in 2006 by a group of Port Clyde fi shermen when regulations were shifting from days-at-sea to sector manage-ment. “They felt marginalized and over-looked in the management process,” Martens said. Mem-bership is made up of just fi shermen right now, explained Martens, but the association plans to enlist community members as well. The board of directors is made up of both fi shermen and com-munity members.

“We would like to rebuild the fi shery and bring it back,” Martens said. “But it will take more than policy changes to bring it back. That’s why we are doing business planning as well. We want the guys to be able to have a successful business.”

The association members work well as a group, according to Martens. “We’ve seen guys that have never worked together coming together now. It’s been great to see them sharing ideas.”

Seacoast Lobster Band Company

PO Box 1472Manchester, MA 01944

Plain and printed lobster bandsTelephone 1-800-830-1856

Cell 978-317-5154

Lobster settlement index for 2011

All Maine, Trap to Table

?Over 4 million pounds bought in 2011. Only from Maine boats.

Are yours

Thank you

??

Year 2011 marks a historic coincidence in the time course of the American Lobster Settle-

ment Index that illustrates the ever widening gap between northern and southern New England lobster stocks: Just as mid-coast Maine’s settle-ment index reached an all-time high the Rhode Island time series dipped to a disturbing all-time low. In this same year, Maine’s lobster fi shery again boasted the highest landings on record, exceeding the hundred million pound thresh-old, while the threat of a fi shing moratorium still looms in the memory of southern New England lobstermen. In this issue of the Update we recap the regional time trends and take a closer look at the increasingly worrisome situation in southern New England lobster nurseries.

Settlement 2011: Diver-based suction sam-ple monitoring for the study areas with the longest time series continue to show strong settlement to the north and vanishingly low settlement south of Cape Cod (Figs. 1 & 2). Most newsworthy is that for the fi rst time in the 22 year time series, the six annually monitored sites in Rhode Island pro-duced no settlers. It is important to be clear that this does not mean there was no settlement in the region; but it does mean that settlement densities are falling below detectable levels with the cur-rent sampling effort. Gulf of Mainers shouldn’t be complacent. Although most of the study areas in the Gulf of Maine from Mt. Desert southward have seen considerable upturns in the last year or two, eastern Maine and the lower Fundy region have fallen off the highs we saw 4 to 6 years back. The time trend also agrees with the Lobster Bay, Nova Scotia, study area most recently added to the mix. The surge in Gulf of Maine lobster land-ings over the past decade has mostly occurred in eastern Maine, New Brunswick and southwest Nova Scotia. The implications of the downturn in settlement for this region’s fi shery remain un-clear.

Vessel-deployed, collector-based settlement monitoring has become well established in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence, eastern Nova Scotia and the lower Fundy region (Figs. 1 & 3). This large scale fi sherman-scientist collaboration has the potential to generate an especially impor-tant time series for Atlantic Canada. One emerg-ing pattern is the consistently strong settlement on Prince Edward Island’s north side and weak

settlement on the south side (Fig. 3). Northum-berland Strait, between PEI, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, may become an area of concern as physiologically stressful temperatures above 20°C (68°F) match those threatening southern New England nurseries. Keeping monitoring go-ing should be a top priority.

Growing concern for southern New England nurseries: In 2011, with support from the Commercial Fisheries Research Foun-dation, UMaine lobster scientists teamed with RI Div. Fish & Wildlife, and RI Lobstermen’s Association to initiate the fi rst comprehensive re-survey of Narragansett Bay lobster nurseries since 1990. Divers conducted both suction sam-pling and visual surveys, revisiting all the location sampled in 1990 along the bay’s north-south es-tuarine gradient, plus a few others of interest to the industry. In 1990 dense populations of ju-venile lobsters, comparable in number to those of mid-coast Maine at the time, were found on Rhode Island’s outer coast and well into the mouth of the Bay (Figs. 1 & 4). The 2011 re- sur-vey drove home the sobering realization of how much nursery populationshad declined. Even with this intensifi ed sampling, no young-of-year (YoY) lobsters were found in suction samples tak-en at any site. Supplemental sampling by collec-tors deployed at all the suction sampling sites produced only a single YoY. These fi ndings are consistent with collector, suction sampling, and brood stock surveys, in Rhode Island Sound and Buzzards Bay, led by Bob Glenn of MA DMF under a previous CFRF project (see Comm. Fish. News, March 2012). The jury is still out as to the key factors at play, but evidence is accumulating that the combination of both warming sea tem-peratures and shell disease are increasing mortal-ity and forcing remaining broodstock to deeper, cooler, offshore waters where hatching larvae are less likely to end up in coastal nurseries.

Looking Ahead: With the Atlantic Coast-al Cooperative Statistics Program, ALSI will launch a Web portal later in 2012 to streamline data entry, reporting and outreach of settlement index results. This will set the stage for a more comprehensive assessment of the predictive power of the index for time trends in the fi shery region-by-region over the next two years.

Can’t wait for the next issue of the MLA Newsletter?


MLA Members’Discount Directory

MLA Members! Present your MLA membership card at the following business and receive generous discounts!

All Points Marine Naragansett, RI -- discounts available for MLA membersAccutech Marine Propeller Dover, NH -- 20% off propeller repair; discounts for new propellers, shafting and hardwareApplied Refrigeration Services Windham, ME -- $250 off new installationsCoastal Hydraulics Seabrook, NH -- 10% discount on all in-stock itemsCod EndTenants Harbor, ME -- 10% off Cookhouse and MarketCommercial Fisheries NewsDiscount on annual subscriptionFriendship Trap Company Friendship, ME -- Discounts of 5% to 10% depending on product Hamilton MarinePortland / Rockland / Searsport Discounts for MLA membersMount Desert Oceanarium Southwest Harbor, ME -- Free admission

Maine Maritime MuseumBath, ME -- free admissionNewcastle Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep Newcastle, ME -- 15% off all parts and service, not to be combined with other offersNicholas Walsh, PAPortland, ME -- 25% discount on legal services Northeast Marine Survey Harpswell, ME -- 10% off commercial rateNorth Atlantic PowerExeter, NH -- 10% off all service repairsPenobscot Marine MuseumSearsport, ME -- Free admission Smithwick & Mariners Insurance Falmouth, ME -- Discounted vessel insurance; additional 5% with proof of completion of Fish-ing Vessel Drill Conductor course within past 5 years.Wesmac Custom Boats Surry, ME -- 2% discount on

Meeting RoundupGovernor’s Workshop on Job Creation

June 13, Brunswick – Governor Paul LePage and several of his key staff and state agency Commission-ers met with business leaders in the areas of fi shing, marine resource industries and coastal tourism in a working session on how to improve Maine’s economy. Participants were asked to discuss their experiences and challenges regarding job creation in Maine.

Following a keynote address by Governor LePage, participants broke out in to smaller groups to discuss regulatory reform, workforce issues and marketing “The Maine Brand”. The regulatory reform sessions were lead by the Governor’s Senior Policy Advisor, Carlisle McLean, and the Commissioners of Environ-mental Protection and Marine Resources. The sessions on workforce development were hosted by the Com-missioner of Labor, and the Governor and his Senior Economic Policy Advisor, John Butera, hosted the ses-sions on marketing “The Maine Brand”. The admin-istration outlined the progress that has been made to streamline regulation to create a more business friendly

climate and participants identifi ed a series of frustra-tions and areas for improvement.

Governor LePage referred to this Workshop on Jobs Creation as a fi rst step of many in reaching out directly to Maine’s business community to get business owners and operators at the table to talk about job cre-ation in Maine. The Governor continues to welcome suggestions, concerns or comments. He reiterated that Maine is “Open for Business,” and the administration remains available, willing, and ready to help.

MLA Directors’ meeting

June 5, Belfast – The MLA board of directors met to hear the presentation by John Sauve, president of The Food and Wellness Group, on Project Maine Lob-ster, an initiative of the Lobster Advisory Council to improve the price paid to Maine lobstermen for their catch. Amy Lent, director of the Maine Maritime Mu-seum in Bath, and Bill Brennan, president of the Maine Maritime Academy, also attended.

Sauve spoke at length about the need to improve demand for Maine lobster in order to boost the price. Absent a sudden drop in the harvest, only by increas-ing consumers’ demand for our lobster will the price move up. Project Maine Lobster is designed to increase generic demand specifi cally for Maine Lobster through a three-year strategic marketing plan. Sauve explained that marketing is different than selling a product, why there is such a need for branding Maine lobster to dif-ferentiate it in the marketplace, and how specifi c mar-keting messages could be developed. The Directors discussed Project Maine Lobster and its possible effect on the boat price.

Following up on business matters from the last meeting, the directors focused on a revised member-

ship dues structure to ensure that MLA can meet an operating budget which will enable the MLA to effec-tively advocate for Maine lobstermen.

Statoil meetings on wind power project

The Norwegian energy company Statoil held meet-ings in Portland, Boothbay Harbor and Rockland in June to explain its plans for a pilot deep-water wind project 12 nautical miles off the coast of Boothbay. The company has leased a 22-square-mile plot of ocean where it plans to construct four 3-megawatt tur-bines in about 500 feet of water. Statoil anticipates that the turbines will be completed by 2016

The open house meetings provided the local com-munity an opportunity to meet representatives of Statoil and Tetra Tech, the consulting fi rm which is con-ducting the environmental assessment of the proposed project area. Attendees included fi shermen and fi shing industry representatives, elected offi cials, non-profi t organizations and members of the general public. The environmental assessment of the project area began in May 2012, and will take two years to complete. During the meetings company offi cials stressed that they were engaging with the local community early in the process in order to help them to understand concerns and to facilitate decision-making based on the best available information.

Fishermen raised questions concerning the pro-posed pilot wind farm, including questions about sound, vibrations and electromagnetic fi elds, fi shing access and siting of the turbines. Statoil consistently stated that many decisions have not been made and they encouraged the community to continue to com-municate questions to the company. Gov. LePage addresses the audience in Brunswick.

Patrice McCarron photo.


on an airy hamburger roll. “The show didn’t air until last winter, but they replayed the episode almost ev-ery month last summer,” Kingston said. “We’ve had people come in because they saw the show and were already sold on the product. People came in from all over.” Kingston said he’s even had kids point him out to their parents, saying “Look, that’s the King of the Lobster Roll,” the title he was given by the Food Wars team.

Kingston said the show increased his business, but that without a quality product to back up the publicity, he wouldn’t be successful. “We get all of our lobster from Eric Emmons, a local fi fth generation lobster-man. Because he brings me his catch every day, I can say without a doubt that all of our lobster is fresh and local.” Even the rolls that hold the lobster meat are fresh and local. “We get our rolls from Reilly’s Bakery in Biddeford. We wanted a roll that was light and airy and that really let the lobster meat stand out.” The bakery is a 100-year-old family bakery that has been supplying rolls to the Clam Shack before Kingston owned it. The previous owner, Richard Jacques, served his lobster on Reilly’s hamburger rolls. “I considered changing to the traditional hotdog roll because I have gotten some comments on the hamburger roll,” Kingston said. “But my wife talked me out of it. If it’s worked this long, why should I change it?”

And clearly the Clam Shack’s lobster roll is working. In early June Kingston was invited to participate in the Tasting Table’s Lobster Roll Rumble in New York City. The Clam Shack was one of twenty lobster roll mak-ers to attend the event and the only one representing Maine. “It was a lot of work to make it down to New York City for the event. And it wasn’t cheap. Maybe that’s why no one else from Maine accepted the invi-tation,” Kingston recalled. Since he couldn’t bring his team with him to the show, he brought cardboard cut-outs of lobsterman Eric, baker Mike Reilly, and ‘the fastest mothershucker in Maine’, Mike Cymbrak. “We also had a big sign with a picture of the Clam Shack that said ‘From sea to NYC: Sea to table before we

knew what that meant’ and placed trading cards of Eric Emmons, Mike Reilly, Mike Cymbrak and myself in each boat under the lobster rolls.” Kingston said he wasn’t expecting to win the Fan Favorite award when he decided to attend the event. He was more interest-ed in promoting fresh Maine Lobster than competing against many well-know New York and national restau-rants. But now that he has won, he is ready to see an increase in business.

“We go through fi ve to six hundred pounds of lob-ster in a day. Mike shucks about twenty fi ve to thir-ty thousand lobsters in a summer with the team as a whole shucking around sixty thousand,” Kingston said as Cymbrak nodded in agreement while shucking lob-sters at a rapid pace. Once the lobsters are shucked, the claws, knuckles, and tails are placed into cups to make sure each roll gets a full lobster. “We put in two tails, two claws and two knuckles then weigh each cup to make sure each roll has the same amount of meat.” Many of the Clam Shack’s competitors chop up their lobster meat and mix it in with mayonnaise. Kingston thinks that method takes away from the sweet taste of the meat. His method is to place large chunks of meat on a toasted bun, with or without mayonnaise, and drizzle it with melted butter. “We cook our lobsters in fresh seawater and never freeze or refrigerate them,” he

explained as he checked on the lobsters cooking in the boiling seawater at the back of the shack. The lobsters come in crates which are then kept in tanks with seawa-ter fl owing from the Kennebunk River.

Kingston bought the Clam Shack twelve years ago and timing, he said, has been a big part of their suc-cess. “The food media was just starting when I bought theClam Shack. There really were no food magazines or TV shows or networks about food back then,” he said. That also happened to be the year George W. Bush, then president, invited Russian President Vladi-mir Putin home to Walker’s Point in Kennebunkport. “We supply the Bush family with all their seafood, in-cluding all the seafood they had at that state dinner. The Europeans were fascinated with the meal. Mrs. Bush fi nally got so tired of talking about the food that she told them the Clam Shack was the provider. I did live interviews with TV reporters from Russia,” Kingston remembered. “We were lucky to get on the radar early.”

“I want to prove to lobstermen that there is a huge opportunity to increase the market for Maine Lobster. From kids to adults, they all get excited to see a lobster, touch it, know where it came from. The rest of the world doesn’t know how fascinated people are by lob-stering. But I get to see it fi rsthand,” he said.

Kingston’s enthusiasm is hard to ignore. He wants to see lobstermen succeed as much as he wants his own business to fl ourish. “I’ve worked with the Maine Of-fi ce of Tourism. Whenever people are in town to fi lm shows about lobster or even kayaking, they ask me to treat them to lunch. We want to show them why Maine lobster is the best. It’s not only good for me, but great for Maine.” Kingston understands that lobstermen are frustrated with the price of lobsters. He suggests cre-ative thinking as a way to increase their profi ts. “Lob-stermen need to think out of the box if they want bet-ter prices. Whether that means getting a dealer license or selling lobsters on the side of the road, that’s their choice. But they have to think outside the box.”

Clam Shack continued from page 1

The Clam Shack’s trading cards were a hit at the Lobster Roll Rumble in New York City. Sarah Paquette photo.

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By Heather Tetreault

During the Surviving the Whale Rules session at the 2011 Maine Fishermen’s Forum, lobstermen reported that groundline chaffi ng occurred between the

fi rst two traps in a trawl. Following the meeting the MLA reached out to lobstermen along the Maine coast to see if the problem existed coast-wide. Lobstermen from all areas of the state confi rmed that chaffi ng generally occurred at one to two fath-oms behind the header trap. Groundline chaffi ng poses a signifi cant problem for lobstermen due to gear loss, safety concerns and cost. Many lobstermen now report replacing this section of groundline frequently in order to prevent potential losses.

Based on the feedback from lobstermen, the MLA worked with the Consortium for Wildlife Bycatch Reduction to organize a team of researchers to place underwa-ter cameras inside lobster traps to document the groundline during a tidal cycle. The goal is to obtain footage of the rope and observe the source of the rope chaffi ng in one section of the line. The MLA has worked with the Consortium for Wildlife Bycatch Reduction on multiple projects focused on allowing lobstermen to continue fi shing while reducing the likelihood of entangling a whale.

University of New Hampshire (UNH) scientist Ken Baldwin has rigged four submersible cameras inside a four-foot trap, with 150-foot cables attaching the cam-eras to a video monitor. Phase one testing took place at UNH’s oceanographic en-gineering lab in the pool in early June. The camera set up will be piloted in at-sea trials in early July before more extensive fi eld trials are conducted in commercially fi xed gear during the late summer and fall months. During the pilot at-sea testing the cameras will be mounted in the fi rst trap of a triple and the camera will be moved to various locations in order to fi nd the ideal camera location to view the groundline.

The pilot at-sea testing will take place in the Piscataquis River in Eliot, Maine, with the assistance of Ben Brickett, owner of Blue Water Concepts Inc.

The equipment fi rst will be deployed from a dock to ensure that it operates cor-rectly. Next the equipment will be deployed in the River, on the F/V Jessie B. Video footage will be recorded at different depths and under varied currents within the river. Analysis of the video footage will be conducted at UNH to determine exactly where the cameras should be mounted in the trap to guarantee they record chaffi ng as it occurs.

In the second phase of testing, the team will deploy stand-alone cameras and lights in commercially fi shed lobster traps. These cameras will be deployed in many locations in Maine during one day trips with local lobstermen. By documenting the behavior of the groundlines during fi shing deployments, it is hoped that the cause of the chaffi ng will be documented. This will enable lobstermen and researchers to propose solutions that will lead to extending the life of sinking groundline.

Stay tuned for an update on this project and its results in future articles in the MLA newsletter. If you have any questions or would like to learn more about this project contact Heather Tetreault at [email protected] or (207) 967-4555.

Membership has its benefits!

Maine Lobstermen’s Association members

• receive the monthly MLA newsletter

• get discounts on marine equipment and services

• receive a weekly e-mail news blast on all things lobster.

Become a member today and be a part of the oldest lobstering organization in

the state.

The MLA mission is to advocate for a sustainable lobster resource and the fi sher-men and communities that depend on it.

Testing underway to understand chaffi ng groundlines problem

Ken Baldwin, University of New Hampshire, re-wiring the monitor that is attached to the underwater cameras. Photo by Heather Tetreault.

This four-foot trap will house the undeerwater camera array to monitor groundlines chaffi ng near the trap. Heather Tetreault photo.


So you want to know: What is lobster shell disease?

Lobsters inhabit a

mysterious world. What do YOU want

to know?

Call us with a science or management question at 967-4555, email [email protected], or post it to www.facebook.com/main-elobstermen.

Garbo depends on the hard work and stewardship of Maine lobstermen.

Thank you !

By Melissa Waterman

One would think that a creature so heavily armed as a lobster is would be in-vulnerable to most attackers. Unfortunately, a lobster, like most other living

things, is not immune from an attack by the invisible. The world’s oceans are a roil-ing soup of possible invaders, called bacteria. Lobster shell disease is one of the most concerning and evident bacterial infections in lobstee.

Shell disease occurs when external bacteria invade the lobster’s shell via a scratch or crack. Scientists aren’t sure exactly which bacteria among the millions found in the ocean are the culprits although recent research suggests Aquimarina ‘homaria’ and ‘Thalassobius’ are likely candidates. These bacteria attack a susceptible lobster’s shell, resulting in pits or pock marks on the animal’s back or claws. They may even eat all the way through the shell. Larger female lobsters are the most severely affected because they retain their shell for a longer period of time while carrying eggs.

The disease does not affect the tissue of the animal. In fact, each time a lobster molts, it will shed the infected shell as it grows its new, uncontaminated shell. The problem for lobstermen is that a lobster with shell disease cannot be sold as a restau-rant item because it is too ugly for customers to eat. Thus the shell-diseased lobsters are sold for a much lower pricg.

In southern New England, nearly thirty percent of the lobsters harvested in recent years bore signs of shell disease. The problem became so severe that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) provided a three-year grant to the University of Rhode Island to explore the causes of the disease. The New England Lobster Research Initiative brought together experts in the fi elds of crustacean endocrinology, genetics, veterinary medicine, behavior, microbiology, lobster biology, chemistry, environmental science, and epidemiology from fourteen universities to get to the bottom of lobster shell disease. The study concluded in 2010.

Unfortunately, there was no single cause that the researchers could name for the prevalence of lobster shell disease in southern New England. According to a sum-mary paper co-authored by University of Rhode Island (URI) scientists Mara Go-mez-Chiarri and J. Stanley Cobb and published this month in the Journal of Shellfi sh

Research, lobster shell disease is a manifestation of a ‘‘metabolic disturbance’’ which causes the lobster to become susceptible to bacteria found in the ocean.

Some had suggested that the increasing water temperatures found in southern New England caused lobsters to become stressed and thus susceptible to the bac-teria. URI Sea Grant specialist Kathy Castro considers this theory unlikely. “[It’s] actually not environmental factors but more like internal factors. We used the host susceptibility hypothesis to show where the host/environment/pathogen overlap to cause disease. There was no indication that temperatur alone caused stress,” she explained via e-mail.

Factors such as the lobsters’ diet, chemicals such as alkylphenols and metho-prene, abraded or damaged shells, or even crowded bottom conditions, might play a role in causing the lobsters to become infected. No defi nitive conclusions can be drawn, according to Gomez-Chiarri and Cobb, other than lobster shell disease is “caused by one or several opportunistic bacterial pathogens that take advantage of a host that is susceptible either through physical damage to the shell or other factors leading to stress and immunosuppression.”

Carl Wilson, lobster biologist at the Maine Department of Marine Resources, pointed out that the state has been tracking incidents of lobster shell disease since 2001. Generally just one lobster per thousand sampled showed signs of the disease. But in 2011, that number changed. “There was a signifi cant uptick in 2011,” Wilson said, “two lobsters for every thousand.” Thus far this year researchers are seeing about the same numbers as last year. “But there’s more awareness of the disease,” Wilson pointed out, in part due to the tremendous impact the disease has had in southern New England. Lobstermen are most likely to see the disease in their catch during the spring and early summer, prior to lobsters molting. “We are seeing it along the entire length of the coast, but at very low levels,” Wilson explained. “We didn’t really have a winter this year. The water temperatures have been two to three degrees warmer at depth from past years. So I would say expect the unexpected.”

DMR Number of shell disease lobsters per 1,000 observed lobsters (2005-2011).Photo courtesy of the New England Aquarium.


Historic photograph from the Penobscot Marine Museum

collections

A nest of Quoddy fi shing boats at Pike’s dock, Eastport. The boat in the foreground was owned by Nelson Henderson, trawl fi sherman. In the 1930s, it was quite possible for small boat fi shermen using tub trawls (long lines with baited hooks) to catch cod and other bottom dwelling fi sh working the small ledges and rough ground where the otter trawls of the time could not reach. Photographed October 1936. Atlantic Fisherman Collection LB1992.301.72

the boat faster and also saves the quality of the meat. He explains that when they “put a fl ag out” the fi sh exhausts itself fi ghting from the harpoon and polyball it drags behind it, it can release lactic acid from stress and ultimately create a lower quality meat. “When everything works right, they don’t even kick their tail,” Chris said. One thing the Weiners try not to do is to “button” the fi sh, which is when the dart pierces through the fi sh and comes out the other side. “You want the dart to be buried in the fi sh, aim for the back and get it in the body cavity,” Chris said.

The Weiner family also has certain superstitions about fi shing for tuna. When on a good streak of luck, they will do everything from wearing the same clothes on each trip (washed every day, of course) to buying the same groceries from the same market. They’ve also been known to not change things if they seem to be having luck, like the saw they use to dress the fi sh. “We use the same saw every time. The last time we sharpened it we had the worst season, so it’s pretty dull now,” Chris said with a laugh.

Chris makes an effort to be involved with as many types of councils in the tuna fi shery as possible. He works with the Atlantic Bluefi n Tuna Association; he also sits on the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (IC-CAT) Advisory Committee and the National Marine Fishery Service Highly Migra-tory Species Advisory Panel. He serves on the Department of Marine Resources Advisory Council and on the New England Fishery Management Council Herring Advisory Council. Weiner also thinks it’s important for the younger generation to be involved in fi shery councils. Giving up his time to be involved is worth it. “Every time you catch one and get it through the door, it feels great. There is really nothing to compare. It’s an adrenaline rush. It’s what we live for.”

Tuna landed safely on deck. Ben Weiner photo.

Tuna continued from page 15

By Melissa Waterman

Two years ago the state legislature passed a law allowing a limited entry program for lobster li-

censes to be established on year-round Maine islands. LD1231: An Act To Protect the Long-term Viability of Island Lobster Fishing Communities, introduced by North Haven representative Hannah Pingree, arose in response to concerns among islanders that the ever-lengthening waiting lists for a lobster license in the state’s lobster zones would preclude young people from making a living on their island. Once in place the limited entry program would allocate a number of li-censes exclusively for island residents who wanted to begin lobster fi shing.

In early June, Cliff Island, Chebeague Islandand the Cranberry Isles became the fi rst three island commu-nities to obtain limited entry programs for lobster li-censes. “It’s a sustainability issue,” said lobsterman Jeff Putnam of Chebeague. “Now young people can have a shot at staying on the island.”

Islanders had to spend many months threading their way through the regulatory process to get their respec-tive programs approved by the state Department of Marine Resources (DMR). DMR regulations required that a minimum of three lobster license holders living on an island form a committee to begin the process of establishing a limited entry program. At least ten percent of the license holders on the island then had to sign a petition that outlined the program and the

number of licenses proposed for that island. The peti-tion then had to be presented to the appropriate zone council for review and comment.

Next, the DMR sent a referendum question to all licensed lobstermen on the island asking if they ap-proved or disapproved of the proposed limited entry program. Two-thirds of those license holders had to vote in favor of the program for it to move to the DMR commissioner for approval.

Obviously, this process took time. Yet as a conse-quence, when the fi nal rulemaking hearings were held in June, much of the controversy surrounding the proposals had settled down. As Sarah Cotnoir, lobster zone council liaison at DMR, who attended the hear-ings in Ellsworth and in Portland, noted, “The hearing in Ellsworth started at 6 o’clock and was done by 6:11 p.m. The one in Portland fi nished up at 6:10 p.m.”

While most lobstermen readily acknowledged that lobstering is the economic mainstay of many islands, some felt that setting aside a specifi c number of li-censes for island residents entering the fi shery was not fair. “On some islands, the school is healthy, they aren’t seeing a population drop, the status quo is O.K.,” said Willis Spear, a Yarmouth lobsterman. “We are against increased effort [in the Casco Bay area]. And it is unfair to the folks who are on the waiting list, who have been waiting for so long.”

On Isleford, one of the Cranberry islands, lobster-man Bruce Fernald sees the program as a lifesaver. “Many of us [island lobstermen] are in our late 50s or

early 60s,” he said. “The way the zone councils are set up and the waiting lists, by the time someone gets a license this place could be dead.” Isleford lobstermen sell their catch to the island’s lobster coop, which needs a certain volume of lobster to stay afl oat. Fernald wor-ries that if the coop should falter, the island itself will change character irrevocably. “We need to keep the coop going in order to keep the island from becoming just a retirement place,” he said.

Islesford (94 year-round residents) and Big Cran-berry Island (40 year-round residents) will have 23 lob-ster licenses available specifi cally for island residents; Cliff Island (year-round population 71) will have 12 licenses and Chebeague Island (year-round population 341) will have 31 licenses. Swan’s Island, which also sent a limited entry proposal out to its lobstermen, did not garner the two-thirds majority required to pass the referendum.

“I am in favor of it [island limited entry program] in island communities where their way of life is fading,” Spear added. “But we are seeing an increase in effort in areas we have never seen it before. We want them to survive but we can’t have them encroaching on us.”

Th ree islands to start lobster license limited entry programs


Native American tribe protests St. Croix River management

Three chiefs representing the Pas-samaquoddy tribe in Maine and New Brunswick declared a state of emer-gency in the St. Croix River in June. Tribal governors at Indian Township and Pleasant Point, Maine joined with Chief Hugh Akagi of New Bruns-wick announced that alewives “are threatened with extinction” on the St. Croix.

“For the past 17 years Maine has harmed the Passamaquoddy People by blocking anadromous fi sh from accessing its ancient and traditional spawning grounds in the upper St. Croix River. This action severely di-minished a traditional food source and disturbed our cultural practices. We insist the State of Maine immedi-ately remove this blockage and allow these fi sh to pass.” Dams installed in the St. Croix River in 1995 have prevented ale-wives from migrating to their spawning grounds in an effort to protect smallmouth bass. The alewife population in the river has dropped dramatically since that time. The three tribal governors said that if the state is not going to open up the river then they want the International Joint Commission, a U.S.-Canadian body which oversees management of the river, to “exercise its authority and open this blockage.”

Dam removal will open Penobscot River to sea-run fi sheries again

Demolition began in June of the 200-year-old Great Works Dam on the Pe-nobscot River in Bradley. Removal of the dam is a milestone in a 13-year effort by Penobscot River Restoration Trust, a coalition of 17 conservation groups, the Penobscot Indian Nation, government entities and corporations. In 2013 the Veazie Dam, which is larger and closer to the ocean, is slated to also be destroyed. In ad-dition, the Milford dam will get a new fi sh lift and a fi sh bypass will be built at the Howland dam. The project has been called the biggest river restoration project in the eastern U.S. and is expected to cost about $62 million.

As a result of the two dams’ demolition, 1,000 miles of the Penobscot River will once again be open to 11 species of anadromous fi sh, including Atlantic salmon and river herring. Before European settlers began altering the river, between 75,000 and 100,000 Atlantic salmon traveled through Bangor on annual spawning runs. Today, only about 1,300 make it that far. Between 14 million and 20 million river herring made it upriver in the past, while fewer than 1,000 make it today. Furthermore, removal of the two dams will not reduce the amount of electricity generated by hydropower on the river. Black Bear Hydro will increase energy production at other facilities along the river system, places where there better passage for the fi sh.

GMRI wins limited entry analysis contract

On June 25, the Department of Marine Resources awarded the Gulf of Maine Research Institute the contract to conduct an analysis of the lobster licensing system in the state. In 2011, the Legislature asked the Department to evaluate the current licensing system and to make recommendations for improvements. The fi nal report will be presented to the Legislature in January, 2013; a draft report is anticipated to be completed in mid-fall.

Alewives are having a hard time surviving on the St. Croix River, which concerns members of the Passamaquoddy tribe. Russ Williams photo.


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Canada keeps pushing for quality lobsters

Quality, price and volume; those are three areas identifi ed by the Lobster Coun-cil of Canada as key to addressing widespread woes that have befallen the lobster industry on Canada’s east coast. At a meeting of the Lobster Fishing Area 34 lob-stermen in late June, Geoff Irvine, executive director of the Lobster Council, em-phasized one point repeatedly: “quality, quality, quality.” He referred to soft shell lobsters landed during the fi rst weeks of the fall fi shery as a problem that reached new heights in 2011. Irvine said that soft shell lobster “affects our brand position and how people see our lobster.” The high volume and poor quality at the beginning of the fall season must be addressed. One idea, to grade lobsters on board the fi sh-ing boats, has met with resistance from harvesters. But the benefi ts might make it worth it in terms of higher prices paid for the graded product, Irvine argued.

Lobster stock assessment process begins this summer

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission will begin work on its 2014 American lobster benchmark stock assessment this summer. The assessment will be used to evaluate the health of lobster stocks. The stock assessment process and meetings, which will continue through June of 2012, are open to the public. In addition, the commission welcomes submission of data sets that will improve the accuracy of the assessment. For data sets to be considered at any workshop, the data must be sent to the Commission at least one month prior to the meeting at which the data will be reviewed. The fi rst workshop, on the life history of lobsters, will be held on August 6 at the DMR laboratory in West Boothbay. Those who are interested in submitting data for the life history workshop should contact Genny Nesslage ([email protected] or 703.842.0740) by July 6.

Area 1 limited entry rule not a cause for alarm

The rule, which takes effect in 2013, is being implemented at the request of lobstermen who are active in management. The concern was that Area 1 currently is the only “open” federal lobster fi shing area. Thus as lobster populations decline resource declines outside of the Gulf of Maine, Area 1 could see an large number of federal permits from other lobster fi shing areas transferred in or non-trap fed-eral lobster permits being used in the trap fi shery. The National Marine Fisheries Service goal is to limit effort in Area 1 to is present level. For those lobstermen not actively fi shing in Area 1, if they have purchased tags with their license they are con-sidered to have fi shing history.

The qualifi cation criteria are meant to protect fi shermen who are already fi sh-ing in Area 1. The diffi culty falls to anyone who is planning to purchase an Area 1 permit. They must make sure that there is some (at least one) tags associated with that license during the qualifying period (2004 to 2008). If someone buys an Area 1 permit without any history of tags purchased during the qualifi cation period, they will not be able to buy tags in the future for it.

Events CalendarJuly 10MLA Directors’ meeting, 5 p.m., Darby’s restaurant, Belfast. FMI: 967-4555.

July 11DMR Advisory Council meeting, 1 p.m., Natural Re-sources Service Center, Hallowell. FMI 624-6596.July 12Tall Tales, fi shermen’s stories moderated by Denis Da-mon, 6 p.m. -7:30 p.m., Fishermen’s Friend restaurant, Stonington. FMI: 367-2708

July 14Searsport lobster boat races, Searsport town dock. FMI: 548-6362

July 15Stonington lobster boat races, Stonington town dock. FMI: 348-2375

July 20Maine Lobster Promotion Council. Natural Resources Servce Center, Hallowell. FMI 207-541-9310

July 21Maine Lobster Ride and Roll, Rockland. FMI: 623-4511

July 22Annual Fishermen’s Family Fun Day, Stonington. 624-6573.

July 26Movie Night: Stonington Fishing Shorts, 6 p.m,-8 p.m., PERC offi ces, Stonington. FMI 207-367-2708

July 28Friendship lobster boat races. FMI: 832-7807.

July 29Harpswell lobster boat races. FMI: 725-2567

Upcoming

August 1-565th Annual Maine Lobster Festival, Rockland. FMI: 596-0376

August 73rd Annual Lobster Buoy Auction, 5 p.m. – 8 p.m., Fishermen’s Friend Restaurant, Stonington. FMI 207-367-2708.

August 7-9ASFMC summer meeting, Alexandria, VA.

August 11Winter Harbor lobster boat races and Lobster Festival. FMI: 963-7139.

August 23“Why there are so many lobsters?” 6 p.m. – 7:30 p.m., PERC Offi ces, Stonington. FMI 207-367-2708.

In the News, continued

www.lobsteringisanart.com

Th e Bait Report

Area

Area 1A

Area 1B

Area 2

Area 3

Total

Quota(as of 6/13)

997

4,314

21,511

6,990

33,811

% of quota

4

158

97%

18%

39%

2012 quota

24,668

2,723

22,146

38,146

87,683

2011 quota

26,251

4,362

22,146

38,146

90,700

2012 Herring Catch and Quota

Data from the NMFS Weekly Atlantic Herring report.Effective February 24, 2012, NMFS reduced the 2012 sub-ACLs (annual catch limit) in Areas 1A and 1B to account for overages in those areas in 2010. Therefore, the sub-ACL for Area 1A is 24,668 mt (reduced from 26,546 mt) and the sub-ACL for Area 1B is 2,723 mt (reduced from 4,362 mt) for the 2012 fi shing year. IVR data are compared to federal and state dealer data each week and dealer reports are used to supplement the IVR when necessary. These supplements include data from non-federally permitted inshore fi sheries when provided by state agencies or from other sources.


Maine Lobstermen’s Association Board of Directors:Shane Carter, Bar Harbor & Willis Spear, YarmouthBy Melissa Waterman

Shane Carter, 39, of Bar Harbor, considers his home port a bit tricky. “There’s no dock

here, no buying stations. Then there are the cruise ships in the summer. It’s not the easiest harbor to fi sh out of,” he admitted. Lobstermen in Bar Harbor must either unload their catch to a buying boat or bring their lobsters in to a wharf at night where trucks are waiting to haul them to a buyer. But it is Shane’s home, the place where he was born. “My uncle, father and grandfather have all been lobstermen,” he said. He started lobstering as a child with his grandfather, a tough fi sherman who didn’t allow Shane to wear gloves when hauling. “He said real men don’t wear gloves,” Shane recalled with a laugh.

Shane got his lobster license around age 12 while sterning with his father. After high school he spent a few years at Worcester Polytechnical Institute and the University of Maine but lobstering called him back to Bar Harbor. He hasn’t looked back. Today he has a 42-foot WesMac which he fi shes offshore. He’s served on the Maine Lobstermen’s Association’s (MLA) board of directors for more than a decade. “Jack Merrill asked me to come on to represent younger guys,” Shane recalled.

He’s found being on the board a good way to keep up to date on the issues that face lobstermen throughout the state. “I like knowing what’s going on and having a say. The talk and rumor mill is not what’s really going on,” Shane ex-plained. The MLA has kept on course well over the years even as the issues con-nected to lobstering have changed. “The MLA does what you need an industry organization to do. It used to be that biological issues were the big problems, like vent sizes. Now it’s things like whale rules and marketing stuff,” Shane said.

As Shane begins to contemplate getting off the MLA board, he’s eager to draw other lobstermen, younger than he, onto the board as he himself was brought in. “Most of the guys on the board are 55 years old or older, same as in the fi shing industry in general,” Shane said. “I’d like to see some other younger guys pick up the reins.”

Willis Spear Jr., 60, fi shes from Cousins Island in Yarmouth. His father, a vice-president at the Portland Pipeline Corporation in South Portland, set a few lobster traps for his own use. Willis quickly found that he liked hauling lobster traps. In fact, he liked everything about lobstering, choosing to hang out with the lob-stermen at Willard Beach during all his spare time. By the time he was in junior high school, he was sterning with a variety of Long Island lobstermen, including Donny Rich, who taught Willis much.

“Donny had an old school way,” Christine Spear, Willis’ wife, said. “Take what you need and leave the rest. You make enough to have a living. Willis absorbed that.”

While he’s a full-time lobsterman now, Willis has turned his hand to nearly every sort of fi shing over the years. “I dragged for thirty years,” he said, as well as scalloping, pair trawling, and gill netting throughout the Gulf of Maine. Even ear-lier, after graduating from Southern Maine Technical College, he went exploring for oil. For several years he worked for a subsidiary of Texas Instruments, doing oil exploration work in such far-fl ung places as Labrador and the Amazon basin.

Willis has been on the MLA board for more years than he can recall. “This is the second or third time I’ve served,” he said. Serving on the board is an invest-ment in time, Willis noted, but it pays off. “I don’t see any other group out there that’s think-ing of the long term health of the resource and the health of the coastal communities,” he em-phasized. “It’s truly grass roots.” Spear received the MLA’s Golden V-notch Award in 2011 in recognition of all that he has contributed over the years to the lobstering industry, in particular his recent efforts to prevent Portland’s water-front from being re-zoned to the disadvantage of the city’s commercial fi shing industry.

Photo by Krista Carter.

Photo by Janice Plante, Commercial Fisheries News

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