June 2009 MAINE COASTAL NEWS Page 11.
Commercial Fishing News
DOWNEAST LOBSTERMEN'S ASSOCIATION NEWS
From the President of the Downeast with the sink rope. This includes everything use a little breather for a while. Let’s hope it promotion of our product going strong.
Lobstermen’s Association: from personal injuries, boat damage and los- stays that way! We lost some very special people re-
Hey everyone, this is Sheila Dassatt with ing traps due to this new sinking rope rule that Maggie Mallory of Aflac, Ellsworth, was cently. Calvert Carver of Jonesport and Fred
the Downeast Lobstermen’s Association is now in place. Our notice suggested send- also one of our guests at our meeting. She Faulkingham of Searsport (former Hamilton
(DELA). We’re looking at a new season, and ing the information in to NMFS. to inform and gave us a very good presentation of the Aflac Marine) passed away this past month. These
from what I’ve been seeing, boats and traps verify them of the problems that we’re hav- insurance policies that were offered at a two men are part of a generation that we look
are still sitting in the yards. I’ve been watch- ing. group discount. Taking the new rope law into up to and respect. They will be sadly missed
ing the price of fuel go up every time I go into Laura’s suggestion to get this booklet consideration, we decided that accident in- by all. We offer our sincere sympathy and
town. together to help the fishermen does just surance would be a big plus for the member- condolences to their families.
A lot of people are going for the alewifes that—keep track of these injuries, etc. Our ship. We need all of the help that we can get, We hope that you’ve noticed the new
as a bait supplement. Board of Directors voted to join with this which is looking out for our survival! If you look for our newsletter! Jim Black of Belfast
We were invited to O’Hara’s in Rockland project. are interested, please give me a call and I’ll is our printer and our newest member. My
to join with the seiners to discuss when the Their main objective for doing this is connect you with Maggie. husband Mike and I started the ball rolling
greatest demand for bait will be this year. It with safety in mind for all of the fishermen. The legislature is officially closed for with the pictures that were sent in for the
is very important that we work together to The final decision for this project ended this session. If you have anything that you’d newsletter. Please send us your articles,
make the most of our resource. We need to up with just GOLMF, MLA and DELA joining like to take up with your representative, now pictures and ads!
make the bait supply work for everyone that together. The DMR and NMFS had a more is the time to start planning. The legislature A lot of people have been asking me how
is involved. involved agenda, which we didn’t feel would will be off for the season. to receive one of our newsletters. Of course,
We had our Board of Directors meeting work well for the fishermen. If you partici- The price for lobsters is going down all the best way to receive it is to ask us about
at Jasper’s in Ellsworth on May 14th. Laura pated with the rope exchange, you will auto- of the time. Boat price at this time is an average membership. Our membership includes the
Ludwig of the Gulf of Maine Lobster Founda- matically receive a letter and booklet with of $3.25 per pound. After September 1
st
, the newsletter, membership card good for a year,
tion was one of our guests. Laura asked instructions. A postcard will be sent to all speculated price will be well below $2.00 per bumper sticker, discounts on boat insurance
about DELA joining with GOLMF, Maine other fishermen, with which you can contact pound. and now Aflac insurance. We have an open
Lobstermen’s Association, Department of Laura, Patrice or myself (Sheila) if you’d like The Maine Lobster Promotion Council communications with our membership,
Marine Resources and National Marine Fish- to participate. has joined DELA recently. We want to wel- which includes sending e-mails that we’re
eries Service to compile a data book. A lot of On a “positive note,” Laura also told us come Dane Somers and Kate Gagne to our happy to share in the newsletter. DELA is an
fishermen have been calling these people to that the announcement from the NMFS Large association. I have been told that the promo- association that belongs to the fishermen
report problems with their sink rope, injuries Whale Take Reduction Team (TRT), which tion that they did last fall reached out way and their families. We also have Associate
and just plain overall problems. met in Providence, RI on April 1
st
and 2
nd
beyond New England. People have told me memberships, which consist of many busi-
DELA posted in our March/April news- stated that no proposed federal regulations that they have family in places like Chicago, nesses that are strongly involved in the ma-
letter for the fishermen to document the date, on lobster gear would be in the horizon until who wanted to help by buying lobster from rine industry. We ask for your support to help
time, location and incident of any problems at least 2014! Now that’s good news! We can Maine. The biggest problem was the price of keep these marine businesses going strong.
shipping the lobster to these customers. The Please consider joining us at any time——we
Promotion Council wants to be sure that we work for you. As I stated in the previous
Maine Maritime Museum
don’t lose any ground that we achieved from article, we are all fishing families, and have the
last year’s promotions. We will all promote same common interests and concerns.
Expands Fishing Exhibit
our product to the best of our ability. People I hope to hear from you soon! See you
definitely want to help. With summer coming around this summer, Sheila
Maine Maritime Museum has installed can fishermen call the ‘doors’ – the two steel into full swing, we should be able to keep
fishing nets to enable visitors to get a “Fish panels that sheer apart in the water to spread
Eye View.” The Museum’s new exhibit, Net the net mouth. An otter board was originally
Worth: The Rise and Fall of Maine’s Fin an 18th century poaching device that could
Fisheries has grown to new heights as two be trailed in the current of a river, like a kite,
full sized fishing nets have been installed on to plane out into the center with salmon
their 20 acre waterfront campus, courtesy of hooks attached.
sponsors Central Maine Power and On Tar- The purse seine is the taller curtain-like
get, who installed the utility poles on which net, used for pogeys or menhaden, donated
to hang them. This is a never before oppor- by fisherman Brian Tarbox of North
tunity to explore fishing as the fish do. Yarmouth. This net is an older net that he felt
The trawl net is the triangular one, for was no longer strong enough; it was origi-
catching groundfish – cod, haddock, floun- nally built and used by Tommy Coffin in
der. It was donated by Saco fisherman Craig Gurnet, Harpswell. The rings are gathered
Pendleton, who is getting out of the fishing together after setting the net around the
business. The narrow end is called the ‘cod school of fish, creating a ‘purse’, which is
end’. Also known as an ‘otter trawl’, origi- gradually contracted and drawn to the sur-
nally named by British fishermen who called face. This is called ‘drying up’ the fish.
the net after the ‘otter boards’, what Ameri-
Commercial & Recreational
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44 SOUTH STREET
HOLLAND'S BOAT SHOP, INC.
Lincolnville, ME 04849
NEW BEDFORD, MA 02740 Mill Lane, Belfast, Maine 04915 · (207) 338-3155
207-734-2246 · VHF 09
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