First published in Landings, September 2023 The fundamental fact of the lobster fishery is that a lobster trap must have bait in it to catch lobster. What that bait is depends on the preferences of … Continue reading
In the News – October 2022
New director at Maine Center for Coastal FisheriesAlexa Dayton has been hired as the newly appointed Executive Director of the Maine Center for Coastal Fisheries (MCCF) in Stonington. Dayton brings more than 25 years of … Continue reading
Bait Supply Once Again a Summer Worry
Everyone knows you can’t catch lobsters if you don’t have bait. For many generations the preferred lobster bait among Maine lobstermen has been herring. Yet in the past ten years, NOAA’s annual herring quota has … Continue reading
Fishing Trip Leads to New Bait Source for Maine Lobstermen
Eighteen months ago, two guys were on a bass fishing trip in Kentucky, when they heard the problems Asian carp were causing for the bass fishery. Then they heard about a new opportunity for harvesting … Continue reading
Major Change In Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission Menhaden Management
In August, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) adopted Ecological Reference Points (ERPs) for the management of Atlantic menhaden. ERPs consider the role played by a fish species within the larger ecosystem, e.g. what … Continue reading
MLA Business Member: Durkee Lobster Bait and Bring It Inc., Jonesport
You might say that bait runs in the family. Ben Durkee, 35, grew up helping his father, Manford Durkee, in the family’s lobster bait business in Jonesport. Durkee Lobster Bait has been in operation since … Continue reading
The MLA’s steadfast business members: Bessy Bait, Seabrook, NH
Chuck Baker knows leather. After more than 40 years working at two leather processing chemical companies and traveling the world on company business, Baker, 70, and his son “Scooter,” 44, a New Hampshire lobsterman, decided … Continue reading
Offshore herring spawning closures under consideration by NEFMC
In September the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) initiated a framework action to amend its Atlantic Herring Fishery Management Plan in order to protect spawning herring offshore in Herring Management Areas 1B, 2 and … Continue reading
Bait poisoning can be life-threatening
Fish handler’s disease, also known as bait poisoning, occurs when bacteria are introduced into the body through cuts in the skin. Handling and processing bait or lobsters can lead to scrapes, cuts, and punctures even … Continue reading
Alewife and Blueback Herring Not Endangered
As part of its joint responsibility with U.S Fish and Wildlife Service for implementing the Endangered Species Act, NOAA reviewed whether alewife and blueback herring require protections under the Act. A comprehensive status review determined … Continue reading