I came across this quote from Mark Twain the other day: “Predictions are difficult, especially when it involves the future.” Not a day goes by that I don’t hear a question from a fisherman about … Continue reading
Maine’s Owner-operator Management System a Success
A quiet man lobsters out of Owls Head. His boat is new, to him, a refurbished 46-footer bought to fish offshore. He started lobstering when he was a child, graduating from a skiff to a … Continue reading
Maine’s Lobster Management System Built on Local, State Collaboration
A long, indented coast. Small boats operating from small harbors. Sharp contrasts in tides, current, bottom features. The complex elements of the Maine coast have created a complicated fishery, one whose management has evolved over … Continue reading
Maine Lobster Fishery Traits Rare in Modern Fisheries
Each day Maine lobstermen roll out of bed in the pre-dawn hours, make their way to the wharf, collect their sternmen and row out to their boats. They bait up, if they haven’t done so … Continue reading
Federal Deadline for Switching to Electronic VTR’s is Early November
Deadline coming soon Beginning November 10, 2021, GARFO-permitted commercial fishing vessels will be required to have an electronic device onboard the vessel at the time of the trip and submit completed reports electronically within 48 … Continue reading
Knotty Discussions Over Weak Points in Final Whale Rule
In July, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) published the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) with NMFS’s preferred alternative for the whale rules, which will amend the Large Whale Take Reduction Plan. While this is … Continue reading
Guest Column: Proposed Regulations Place Unfair Burden On Lobstermen
I want to start off by saying thank you to Maine lobstermen for all your hard work on right whales. After two decades of compliance with federal whale rules, you are again being called on … Continue reading
NMFS calls for deeper cuts over ten years to protect whales
Right whales will continue to decline unless other actions taken Two major announcements related to North Atlantic right whales and the U.S. lobster fishery were made by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) as 2020 … Continue reading
Funds Help Maine Transition to 100% Harvester Reporting
In December 2019, $1.6 million in federal funds were re-appropriated to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) to support recovery actions for the North Atlantic right whale. The funds are intended to assist the … Continue reading
Guest Column: New Scallop Regulation Supports Small Boat Fleet
Three years ago, the Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association (MCFA) began working with fishermen and local businesses to improve scallop management and give a voice to scallop fishermen on important regulatory issues. As a result, the … Continue reading