In late January, lobstermen, seafood dealers, scientists and others from the United States and Canada will gather in the New Brunswick city of Moncton for the Lobster Town Meeting organized by The Lobster Institute at the University of Maine. This is the 16th time the two-day event has occurred since its inception in 2004. “It is an industry-wide gathering of lobstermen and other interested parties that come together to discuss the status of the lobster resource (Homarus americanus) and the business of lobstering – from the perspective of the fishermen,” according to a press release from The Lobster Institute. The event, which takes place January 24-25, will allow fishermen to get a more complete picture of the current state of lobster industry in Canada and the U.S. and future challenges.
The Lobster Town Meeting will start with welcoming remarks by Dr. Rick Wahle, executive director of The Lobster Institute, and board chairman, Annie Tselikis, executive director of the Maine Lobster Dealers Association. Topics for the first day include “Lobster Processing in North America,” “Lobster Marketing Techniques,” and “North Atlantic Right Whales.” On the second day participants will hear a session on media relations before taking part in discussion on challenges and opportunities in the lobster fishery on both sides of the border. Panelists invited to the meeting include representatives from Inland Seafood, Tangier Lobster, the Cranberry Isles Fishermen’s Cooperative, the Maine Department of Marine Resources, and the Maritime Fisheries Union of New Brunswick.
The major sponsor for this year’s Town Meeting is UNI Financial Cooperation, a Francophone credit union based in New Brunswick. Other sponsors include the Maine Department of Marine Resources, Maine Sea Grant, University of Maine Office of Research, University of Maine Canadian-American Center, Shediac Lobster, and the Lobster Council of Canada.
For more information or to register go www.umaine.edu/lobsterinstitute/
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