L E T T E R  T O  T H E  E D I T O R

Clam Closure Hardship Downeast

To Governor LePage and the Maine State Legislature:

I am writing to you to make you aware of an important issue that is facing our local shellfish harvesting economy. This issue is severely affecting our clam diggers’ lives and our business. We are very worried about the next few weeks, and months perhaps.

You may or may not be aware that all clam-digging in Washington and Hancock counties has been shut down due to a type of plankton that creates toxins in clam tissues. As a result of high levels of this plankton, the Maine DMR has shut down all clamflats to digging.

This action started one week ago and this is a very serious hit to our clam economy. On a daily basis, our company alone was paying out $3,000 to $5,000 per day to local diggers before this shutdown. That means that in one week alone our area has lost $20K to $30K in revenues alone. Not only lost to us as shellfish dealers, but to the diggers, and to the local stores, and businesses. At a minimum, each of our 30 to 50 diggers is out $100 per day per tide in lost income……..

This ASP shutdown is similar to our early-summer RED TIDE, but it has not been seen in our area for many years. In Prince Edward Island, years ago, several people died from this type shellfish poisoning. On the West Coast in California, the entire Dungeness Crab Fishery was closed for months and marine mammals washed ashore, having died from these type of toxins.

Please speak with DMR officials and look into the reality of this shellfish industry shutdown. At present things do not look good. We may be shut down for weeks or a month or more. We will need you to help us mitigate the impact of this shut-down on our industry. We need you to look into relief funds for our diggers and dealers. At present this affects shell fishermen as far south/west as Searsport or Stockton Springs. There are literally many hundreds of clam diggers/harvesters who are out of work, have no income, and have families to feed. We will need help from the State of Maine.

Please look into this and get back to me as soon as possible.

Thank you for your efforts on our behalf. I hope you understand that we (GOM) are persevering here in Washington County, keeping folks employed. It would be a great honor to advocate for, and catalyze aid for, a group of very hard-working, decent, and deserving people in the Cobscook Bay region during this time of need.

Sincerely yours,
Tim & Amy Sheehan,
Gulf of Maine, Inc.
Pembroke, Washington County