Monhegan’s gamble

In voting not to open their season on Jan. 1, Monhegan lobstermen are taking a gamble to save the resource. Although the Legislature won’t convene until shortly after that, lawmakers and state officials should step up now to assure the islanders the wager of their lives will pay off.

For 100 years, Monhegan has been a role model for conservation, with a self-imposed trap limit and a six-month shutdown that protects lobsters during their molting and breeding seasons. The reward for such restraint goes beyond stable harvests for the islanders — scientists say the Monhegan ocean bottom is an incredibly productive nursery for the entire Maine lobster industry.

The current generation of 12 Monhegan lobstermen has continued that stewardship, but now six from Friendship, their own harbor tapped out, say they will fish the island next year. They will cram as many as 3,600 more traps into the two-mile conservation zone. They will violate the tradition of taking care of one’s own harbor and leaving another’s alone. They have the right.

The governor and the Department of Marine Resources clearly are on Monhegan’s side in spirit, but they have no authority to limit the number of license-holders who can fish in a particular area. And so the curators of Monhegan’s conservation zone can only vote to stay closed and to hope the Legislature establishes that authority.

Monhegan is ready to make a tremendous sacrifice that will benefit the entire industry, but their decision to remain closed first must be approved by DMR — it should do so immediately — and lawmakers must be ready to act when they convene in January.

Sen. Jill Goldthwaite, head of the Marine Resources Committee, recognizes the value of what Monhegan has done and of what it is willing to do, but worries about putting the long-standing “home-harbor” practice into law, she’s concerned about codifying tradition.

It’s a valid concern. Common sense is preferable to new laws, but common sense has failed here. The Friendship fishermen already have violated the most sacred tradition in the business — they failed to nurture the resource in their own harbor. They should not be rewarded for that.

Once the Legislature gathers in January, a bill giving DMR increased powers of conservation should be a top priority. Under the normal process, a bill has to slog its way through the legislative council just to get into the hopper, then through committee, through the full Legislature, past a minefield of amendments and finally onto the governor’s desk, only to wait 90 days to become law. That is too long. Monhegan is willing to delay its opening, but it should not be expected to forego an entire season.

Instead, the legislation needs emergency designation, immediate consideration and immediate implementation. The requirement of a two-thirds vote is daunting, but it can be accomplished if knowledgable lawmakers, officials and fishermen begin the education process now. Monhegan is putting all of its chips on a yet-to-be-written law to help itself and the entire Maine lobster industry. The Legislature must open in January with a full deck, ready to deal.