DMR Proposes Limit on Summer Lobster Days

 

DMR Commissioner Pat Keliher left and fisherman Bob Baines at the December 11 Lobster Advisory Council meeting addressing the problem of high volume low value lobster flooding the summer markets. The council passed a motion that when passed will allow the DMR to fishing limit days and time of day in the summer. © Photo by Sam Murfitt

The Maine DMR Lobster Advisory Council met December 11 to discuss options for addressing the impacts seen this past summer of larger quantities of low value lobster.

Profit, quality, landings and those effects that were causing a declining value of the lobster fishery were discussed. Many ideas were floated at the meeting. These scenarios were run through existing data bases to be evaluated for their potential effects on the problem.

A DMR spokesperson said that the questions were asked for example, would limited changes to days out or trap limit changes produce the desired results. The discussions came down to a motion to request a draft proposal be sent to the legislature. If passed it will allow the DMR to make specific changes to the lobster fishery regulations.

The motion voted on read as follows:

MOTION: (Elliott Thomas and Dan MacDonald) – Request that DMR prepare, with assistance from LAC volunteers, a draft to take to the Legislature to permit only 3 days in the fishery with an optional daily time limit, for a period of time in the summer when the market is saturated. 6 in favor, 1 opposed. Motion passes.

A representative of the Gulf of Mane Research Institute was at the meeting to discuss the institute’s recently released report on the limited entry lobster fishery. (See: “An Independent Evaluation of the Maine Limited Entry System for Lobster and Crab.”- This issue of The Fishermen’s Voice)

That report, commissioned by the DMR and initiated by the 125th Maine legislature, examines in detail the changes to entry into the fishery, value of the fishery and harvester demographics. The flood of soft shell lobster in the summer of 2012 is the result of a number of factors. Some of those environmental factors are not likely to change soon. The goal is to look at factors that can be changed which could maintain the value of the fishery.

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