March 2017 MAINE COASTAL NEWS Page 11. Commercial Fishing News
From the Director - Have you fi nally gotten out of the snow
D. E. L. A. F D
banks? We had the largest amount of snow that we have seen in many years. Unfortu- nately, the storm landed on the same day that our DELA Board meeting was scheduled in Ellsworth. Fortunately, we have been able to continue on through the use of the telephone, e-mails and cyberspace. Our Directors have been doing a great job staying in touch with the issues. The Maine Legislature has started with
the Appropriations Committee hearing the budget plan for the Department of Marine Resources. This bill was presented by Com- missioner Patrick Keliher, which consisted of many pages of “solutions for shortfall.” He was standing at the podium for a good hour and a half, just going over the proposals and stopping every now and then to catch his breath and take a drink of water. He answered questions along the way from the Appropriations Committee and the Marine Resource Committee. There are fi ve categories for proposal:
1) License fee increase-across the board. 2) Paperless data entry. 3) Coastal Program 4) Close the Boothbay Library and Lab for fi ve months. 5) Management head count - posi-
tion changes and eliminations. With this being said, we don’t totally realize just how much the Department cov- ers for our Maine Fishing industry. They also cover the Maine Marine Patrol, which takes in the wardens and the equipment that they need to do their job. They work long hours, require bullet proof vests as well and it is obviously a dangerous job. Just the bullet proof vests alone are a great expense, but can we put a value on a human life? Of course, priceless. This is just a sample of what the DMR
covers for our industry. Did you realize this? The other states on the Atlantic Coast have their stocks pretty well depleted. They look to us as an example of our conservation and sustainability.
Research is another big requirement to
maintain the well-being of our fi shery. It was stated that the Gulf of Maine is warming which results in many more species such as squid, and species that are not usually seen in the Gulf of Maine. This can be good or it can lead to a possible collapse, which is why the research is so important. The R.E.D. Board, or Research, Education and Development (lobster license plate) Board is another valu- able source of funding for research. It also
donates toward the next generation, such as the Young Skippers Program that is working very well in our coastal communities. The proposed license increase is a 30%
increase on the licenses across the board. For the lobster industry, there has been no increase for seven years. Now, the problem is that 25% of the funds which totals ap- proximately 2.3 to 2.4 million dollars goes to the DMR and the rest of the 75% goes to the General Fund. This is quite an increase for a license with a minimal amount going to the D.M.R. to support our Maine Fishing Industry. We were asked for suggestions, which the fi rst one is to make sure, if the increase theoretically goes through, that it goes toward a surcharge that supports more of the DMR than the General Fund. We should be able to sustain our fi shery, after all, it is one of the most successful industries in the State of Maine. This is the most popular suggestion that we have heard from people. Now, I am not saying that we are in favor of the increase…There are other options that must be looked at such as the other four options that I previously listed. What needs to stay and what needs to go? We do have a voice in this, so please, let us all know where you stand and send along your opinions. How do you feel about the Maine
Lobster Marketing Collaborative? I heard talk about some wanting to dis-mantle this entity and work with the private sector. If we look at the fee for our marketing, as if we are all individual businesses, which we are…it is a smaller price to pay than to each
hire a private marketing fi rm to advertise and promote our Maine lobster brand. The same goes for membership with DELA, the lobster associations…a $100 membership for fi shermen annually is a fair price to pay for representation for our industry. A lawyer or marketing consultant would charge that much just to work with you for an hour or two. So it is up to us to decide. We are all in this together with the future of our industry at stake. We need to stay involved and keep what we have from going in the same direc- tion as the lower Atlantic States. Believe me, they have stayed in touch with us and give us their best advice. There is nothing better than the voice of experience. We would appreciate you considering a membership to help us along. We will see you at the Maine Fishermen’s Forum! Please stop by and let us know how you feel about the issues that we are facing. Sheila
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