Page 12. MAINE COASTAL NEWS April 2017


Commercial Fishing News N   D  M R


Fishermen’s Forum in Rockport, recognizes industry members who participate with the Department to ensure a sustainable future for Maine’s commercial fi sheries. Melvin, pictured here with Commissioner Keliher during the award ceremony, was honored for his work on the Shellfi sh Advisory Council. “Glen is never shy about telling me what he thinks,” said Commissioner Keliher. “I have come to rely on him for straightforward, un- varnished opinions. He doesn’t always tell me what I want to hear, but that reality check is important for fi sheries managers. His con- tributions are always appreciated and he is extremely deserving of this honor.” (Photo courtesy of Mark Haskell Photography)


Marine Patrol Offi cer Brandon Bezio Receives 2017 MLA Offi cer of the Year Award.


Scallop Season Update - March 10, 2017 March 10, 2017 - The Maine Department of Marine Resources will use emergency rulemaking action to implement a closure of Cobscook Bay to scallop harvesting, eff ective March 12, 2017. Cobscook Bay continues to experience


a high amount of fi shing pressure throughout the scallop fi shing season. For the past seven weeks, roughly 120 - 130 boats have been steadily removing scallop resource from the Cobscook Bay area. Scallop meats were reported to be large in size and in the cate- gory of U10 to U15s during December and January. However, recent reports indicate a larger proportion of smaller meats being harvested. Results from DMR survey work com-


pleted March 5, 2017 indicate a decline of 39% in the available harvestable (legal size)


biomass. Observations from the March 5 survey also indicate the presence of both seed and sublegal scallop stock in all areas of Cobscook Bay. The Department is concerned that con-


tinued harvesting during the remainder of the 2016-2017 fi shing season in Cobscook Bay will damage sublegal scallops that could be caught during subsequent fi shing seasons, and reduce remaining broodstock that is essential to a recovery.


Glen Melvin Receives 2017 DMR Award of Excellence


March 8, 2017 – Glen Melvin a shellfi sh and elver harvester from Waldoboro has re- ceived the second annual Maine Department of Marine Resources Award of Excellence. The award, presented by DMR Commis- sioner Patrick Keliher during the recent


Marine Patrol Offi cer Brandon Bezio Receives 2017 MLA Offi cer of the Year Award


March 6, 2017 - Marine Patrol Offi cer Brandon Bezio, who serves in the St. George-Warren Patrol, receives the 2017 Maine Lobstermen’s Association Marine Patrol Offi cer of the Year Award. The award, presented Saturday, March 4, 2017, at the Fishermen’s Forum in Rockport, is an annu- al recognition of Marine Patrol Offi cers who provide outstanding service in support of the Maine lobster industry. Pictured with MPO Bezio is Marine Patrol Colonel Jon Cornish (left), MLA Board President David Cous- ens (2nd from right), and MLA Executive Director Patrice McCarron (right). (Photo Courtesy of Mark Haskell Photography)


Maine’s 2016 Commercial Marine Resourc- es Top $700 Million for the First Time March 3, 2017 - Maine’s commercially harvested marine resources topped $700 million in overall value in 2016, according to preliminary data from the Maine Depart- ment of Marine Resources. The total refl ects yet another all-time high and an increase of nearly $100 million in value over 2015. “Mainers should take great pride in the


success of our commercial fi shing industry,” said Governor Paul R. LePage. “The hard working men and women who fi sh for a liv- ing along our coast have established Maine as a leader in the responsible management and harvest of seafood.” For the second straight year, the largest


single increase in value was in Maine’s lobster fi shery. The fi shery saw the overall landed value jump by more than $30 million while the average per pound value remained over $4 for the second year in a row, at $4.07. The overall value of Maine’s lobster


fi shery was again by far the highest at $533,094,366. When factoring in bonuses paid to harvesters as reported by 14 of Maine’s 19 lobster co-ops, the overall land- ed value of Maine’s lobster fi shery reached $547,249,010. 2016 marked the fi rst year ever that


Maine lobster harvesters landed over 130 million pounds, with a total of 130,844,773 pounds. It was also the fi fth year in a row in which Maine lobster harvesters landed over


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Glen Melvin Receives 2017 DMR Award of Excellence.


120 million pounds. “The historic landings refl ect the hard


work of our harvesters to build and sustain this fi shery,” said Maine Department of Marine Resources Commissioner Patrick Keliher. “The exceptional value is the result of growing demand by consumers who appreciate both the quality of Maine lobster and the long-standing commitment to sustainable harvesting practices that characterize this fi shery.” At $19,019,337 Atlantic herring, the


primary bait source for Maine’s lobster in- dustry, saw an increase in value over 2015 of more than $5 million. The dollar amount ranked it as Maine’s second most valuable fi shery, despite a nearly 11 percent decline in landings. “Overall herring landings declined in 2016 as a result of a lack of fi sh off -shore, resulting in demand that far surpassed sup- ply,” said Commissioner Keliher. Maine’s softshell clam industry dropped


from second place in 2015 to third in 2016 with an overall value of $15,656,386. The decline in overall value refl ected a 13.4 percent decline in per pound value as well as a 20 percent decline in pounds landed. “One signifi cant factor that contributed


to the decline in softshell clam landings was a closure of harvest areas between the Canadian border and Mount Desert Island associated with Amnesic Shellfi sh Poison- ing (ASP) late in the season,” said Kohl Kan- wit, Director of the DMR Bureau of Public Health. While the closure was minimized as much as possible through rigorous testing, many areas were closed for 2 to 4 weeks to ensure public health and safety. Maine’s elver fi shery was again by-far


the most lucrative of Maine’s commercial fi sheries on a per pound basis at $1,430.51 a pound. Maine harvesters netted 9,400 of the 9,688 available pounds of quota for an overall value of $13,446,828, an increase of more than $2 million from the previous year. The overall value ranked the elver fi shery as Maine’s fourth highest. “While we can take this moment to


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