November 2013 MAINE COASTAL NEWS Page 11.


DIRECTOR'S REPORT FROM D. E. L. A. Commercial Fishing News


From the Director –


It looks like this year’s season is winding down and the traps are starting to come up for their long winter rest. My gosh, it seems like we were just at the Fishermen’s Forum with the whole season ahead of us! At least this year we were ready for the amount of lobsters that were caught with Canada experiencing a little bit of the pain that we suffered last year.


They say that “what goes around, comes around” and I’m certainly starting to believe this, the older that I get. With the help of the associations and the communications with the Department of Marine Resources, the Commissioner and the Lobster Advisory Committee, we were able to handle the situation to the best of our ability. There was a lot of panic about “what if this happens again” but the preparedness certainly made a difference this year. The newly organized Marketing Collaborative (formerly Maine Lobster Promotion Council) is under way with the guidance of John Sauve, of the Food and Wellness Group.


For those out there that thought no one was doing anything about prices, the Sub- committee of the L.A.C. and the L.A.C., which included industry representatives and associations, started working with John in 2011. This has been an on-going process that also included area meetings with the fi shermen to stay in communications. The Commissioner also had area meetings for the same reasons. There will be an update at the Maine Fishermen’s Forum to keep us informed with the progress of the newly formed Marketing Collaborative. If you want to know how the marketing is going, please attend the Forum. This informational


update will be on the seminar schedule. We are already in session with the


Fishermen’s Forum Board planning the 2014 Forum. The seminar schedule is starting to materialize. If you would like to have a seminar, or have a booth, please contact the Board of Directors and Chilloa Young, the executive director. I am also on the Board of Directors if you’d like to contact me. The Forum also has a web site that will give you all of the contact information. The website is mainefi shermensforum.


org. If you look it up, you’ll see a lot of familiar faces. It is a very good opportunity to get to the seminars and meet a lot of suppliers at the Marine Trade Show.


I fi nd


it to be a great way to see our Associate members and also say “Hi” to everyone that comes to the D.E.L.A. booth.


month.


Herring has been a topic for the past There was a shut-down at the


beginning of October. The following is a statement that came to us from Lauri Steele: Herring Interested Parties: “NMFS has approved and implemented Framework 2 to the Herring FMP and the 2013-2015 Atlantic herring fi shery specifi cations, including the quotas proposed by the Council for 2013-2015. The specifi cations are effective immediately, and the Area 2 directed fi shery for herring has been re-opened.” Mike and I attended the Maine Lobsterboat Racing Association’s banquet that was held at the Fishermen’s Friend in Stonington. We had a very good time, with great food and great friends. The new offi cers were announced, the awards were given out and a dance followed. It was good to see Andrew and Rose Gove at the banquet. Andrew must be the “senior” racer now. can remember when that position belonged


I


to my Dad. As a matter of fact, a lot of people acknowledged that fact when they spoke with us….it was such a nice gesture. We are very fortunate to be part of the “hey day” of lobster boat racing. We’d like to say “thank you” one more time for making Dad an inductee of the Hall of Fame. That was a proud moment! The Penobscot Marine Museum is


offering a half-price membership to all D.E.L.A. members. The PMM has also invited us to attend the seminar that they will be hosting at the Hutchinson Center in Belfast on November 2nd


. The seminar is


called: Fish, Wind & Tide. These resources have played key roles in Mainer’s lives for generations. We will also be in attendance to represent our tradition and way of life. I sent a letter out to members that I


hadn’t heard from in a while with concerns. To keep our communications open, I asked for a call to let us know why we hadn’t heard from them in a while for membership renewal. The response was very good but also an awareness call. We had guys that just couldn’t fi sh any longer (due to health) but sent their memberships in as long as they could. Some have retired, but still want to pass their business down to their family. They would like to have their sons, daughters, etc., continue on by joining the association to maintain our way of life and preserve it. The hard part is to make this an awareness that the younger generations take seriously.


I have learned so much by simply


calling these older folks and hearing what they have to say. They are the inspiration that we all need to keep ourselves going in the right direction. They are also the ones responsible for the conservation methods that have given us the reason for Maine to be proud of our fi shery and successful resource. If you have any questions about joining D.E.L.A., please contact us at any time. We are all in this for the same common cause. We are working together and it is working… what else can I say? downeastlobstermen. org is our contact site.


Some people say that they did not know that we are a statewide association. We are a statewide association with members also in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. D.E.L.A. sits on the same seats on the boards that represent our lobster industry with all of the associations, the Department of Marine Resources and the L.A.C. and zone councils. We all have the same common cause, which is to represent our lobster industry and our membership. Sometimes we have to disagree, but it is in the better interest of our industry and membership representation. We speak for the membership and represent their voice.


“By the Fishermen – For the Fishermen.”


Let’s keep our membership going strong. Our next scheduled meeting is Thursday, at 6:00 p.m. at Jasper’s


November 14th


Restaurant in Ellsworth. All are welcome. See you around, Sheila


124


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Marine Hardware Inc. 207-422-6532


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