March 2018 MAINE COASTAL NEWS Page 11.
D. E. L. A. - F D Commercial Fishing News
From the Director - It won’t be long now, and we will be
starting to gear up for the next season of lobstering! According to tradition, the way that last year’s catch went, this year should be a better year. A lot of the shorts that went back overboard should be legal this year. This runs true of the typical seven year cycle. Now, if we can get a better handle on the price of our overhead compared to the price of our catch, we’ll be moving in a forward direction. With the Legislature in full swing,
we have the results of the hearing and work session concerning the Maine Lobster Marketing Collaborative. Rep- resentative Will Tuell reported that their bill, LD 1791 passed for three years and also wrote the Executive Committee into the statute so that they can be more responsive to questions and concerns about the Collaborative. Will said that giving them three years not only gives them more fl exibility in how they react to a changing marketplace but allows the fi shing community and the Legislature to make changes more quickly. There’s several other issues that were taken into consideration such as how gets to appear on the MLMC website. The Marine Re- source Committee did not feel it rose to the level of legislation but they felt they should be addressed by the board in the next few years. These will be document- ed in a letter from the Committee to the MLMC. When that is fi nalized and sent, Will be post it for us to see. The results of this decision refl ects
the concerns and statement of the DELA Board of Directors and membership. We submitted a testimony that stated that
we need more accountability if they are to continue. We are thankful that the Committee took our recommendations into consideration. DELA also testifi ed in favor of LD
922 An Act Directing the Commissioner of Marine Resources to Investigate the Conditions of Sheepscot Pond Related to a Management Plan for Anadromous Fish Species. This is another piece of legislation to help the alewife to once again be able to return to their breeding ground. We also testifi ed that this bill allows to help establish good working communications between the Depart- ment of Marine Resources and the Depart of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife between the commercial fi shing indus- tries and the recreational fi shing that rely on the same waterways. A lot of people were against this bill because they’re afraid the dam would be removed with repercussion to the fl ooding of their land. According to the way the bill is written, it is stated “The Commissioner shall open and keep operational the fi sh way on the Sheepscot River located at the outlet of Sheepscot Pond in the Town of Palermo from April 15th
to June 30th annually to
allow the passage of anatropous fi sh.” With this being written, we did not see that the removal of the dam was being considered. The City of Rockland has reached
out for support from the fi shing indus- try in an eff ort to maintain the traffi c in and out of the Harbor due to a proposed marina and large cruise ships coming in. This situation is much like the Northeast Harbor distress over the ships coming in through their trap fi elds. This seems to
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be a growing concern along the entire coast of Maine. The concern is about bringing in a tourist trade for around three months of the year and displacing the local industry that supports the town the entire year around. This one is really a threat, as Rockland is the home of the Maine Lobster Festival! How will that continue if the lobstermen are pushed out of their own area? We have a meeting this week with
the marine industry concerning the whales once again. This is just the beginning of how the associations are always working to protect our traditional way of life along with the Department of Marine Resources. DELA will keep the information posted so you will stay informed. When it comes to standing fi rm to
our convictions over industry issues, we say what we mean and mean what we say. It is our belief that you can rest at ease that we will stand by our testimony. In due respect, we recently read in another publication that all of the associations testifi ed against the landing of lobster by-catch lobsters in drags. We have always testifi ed against landing by-catch lobsters caught by drags and always will. If you look back on the last time this went to the legislature, there is one association that testifi ed in favor of this bill which
totally surprised us. So please, when there is discussion about how truthful the news is, please check the facts before believing everything that you read. All testimony at the Legislature is recorded and accounted for. If you have further questions, feel free to contact Augusta and get the facts as they were spoken and written. The Maine Fishermen’s Forum is
right around the corner! This is March 1 - 4th
. We will be there to represent our
industry and say “HI” to our friends that we haven’t seen since last year. DELA is open for new membership, so please consider “coming on board!” If we are going to preserve our fi shing industry and way of life, we are all needed to stay ahead of this challenge. We will see you there! Sheila
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