Keliher: Be Prepared for Change

by Laurie Schreiber

ROCKPORT—The lobster fishery in the Gulf of Maine has had an incredible run since the mid-2000s, but the industry should be mindful of lessons learned from the crash of the lobster fishery in the Southern New England.

That’s the word from Department of Marine Resources (DMR) Commissioner Pat Keliher, who spoke during a session on lobster management at the Maine Fishermen’s Forum in early March.

“We’re not in a red-light scenario, but it’s always good to have these conversations and be prepared for change,” Keliher said, referring to a 16 percent decline in lobster landings in 2017, compared with 2016. “I’m not panicked about this,” he continued. “We’ve seen seven years in a row of over 100-million-pound landings. This is the sixth highest year out of the seven years.”

The landings decline plus lower price per pound means a $99 million loss out of the coastal economy, he said.

“There’s a lot of variability in the supply chain and a lot of things that can come into play here,” he said. “But overall, this industry still does very well.”

Keliher said new management measures coming up center on electronic reporting. The Atlantic States Marine Fishery Commission (ASMFC) recently finalized an addendum that continued a provision to require 10 percent reporting by Maine lobster fishermen for the next five years. But that provision has been modified to include more active fishermen and fewer holders of latent licenses. The program will move to 100 percent electronic reporting after that, he said. The details of that program will be worked out over the next few years.