The 19th U.S.- Canada Lobster Town Meeting, hosted by the University of Maine Lobster Institute, will be held January 18-19, 2024, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Moncton, New Brunswick.
Christine Cash is the interim director of the Lobster Institute at UMaine. Lobster Institute photo.
The 19th U.S.- Canada Lobster Town Meeting, hosted by the University of Maine Lobster Institute, will be held January 18-19, 2024, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Moncton, New Brunswick.
The Town Meeting allows representatives from the lobster industry — harvesters, dealers, processors, government, and academia — to convene and share perspectives from both sides of the border. The 2024 meeting runs all day Thursday, January 18, followed by an evening social, and concludes Friday, January 19, at noon.
The American lobster fishery is facing unprecedented challenges. Whether it’s shifting lobster distributions in a warming ocean, gear and gauge modifications, unpredictable global markets, or spatial squeeze, harvesters, dealers, and resource managers realize that they need to work together to succeed.
Town Meeting panels will include:
Addendum 27 (increase of the U.S. minimum gauge size) will address unanswered questions and anticipated cross-border market impacts of the January 2025 gauge change. Panelists will include management leaders, harvesters, dealers, live shippers, and processors from the U.S. and Canada.
Marine Spatial Planning - Offshore Wind Development will discuss the status of offshore wind developments from Southern New England to Canada. The panel will include fishermen from Maine, Southern New England, and Newfoundland, as well as representatives from the Responsible Offshore Development Alliance (RODA), the Maine Department of Marine Resources, and BOEM.
Climate Change and Warming Waters focuses on where and when lobster is being caught, molt times, lobster location, and collaborative research initiatives. Panelists will include managers, researchers, and harvesters and fisheries association representatives throughout the Gulf of Maine and Atlantic Canada.
Innovative Gear will feature gear manufacturers, harvesters testing gear, and management representatives to share design updates, first-hand experiences, and challenges with gear location and conflicts.
A $75 registration fee includes conference materials, meals, and the seafood reception on Thursday evening. Hotel rooms, including parking, are available at $115/night ($155 CAD).
Thanks to two generous sources, we are able to cover hotel costs for commercial harvesters to attend Town Meeting in Moncton. If you want to take advantage of this opportunity, please register online indicating you are a commercial harvester. The Lobster Institute will follow up with you directly about lodging logistics. The Crowne Plaza is a family-friendly hotel with pool facilities within walking distance of downtown amenities.
Don’t forget to make sure your passport is current, but don’t worry if you need a new one. Turnaround times are good, and there are expediting options, as well as rush passport options securable two weeks prior to international travel.
We welcomed a record number of attendees to our meeting in Portland in 2023, with over 200 people hailing from eight states and five Canadian provinces, and we hope to do the same in 2024. Please reserve early to guarantee your spot, as tickets, like last year, are expected to sell out.
For more information, to register or make hotel reservations, click here or contact Chris Cash at christina.cash@maine.edu or 207-975-0003.