PORTLAND – Maine’s scallop draggers and divers face a shortened season and new restrictions as the scallop season gets under way. The season in state waters runs Jan. 1-4 and again Feb. 25-March 31. That’s a total of 70 days, a cutback of nearly 50… Read More
YARMOUTH, Nova Scotia – Fishermen threatened to stop trucks carrying lobsters from leaving southwestern Nova Scotia on Monday after dozens of boats returned to port to protest low lobster prices. Jody Smith of Digby Neck said fishermen want to stop the trucks from leaving the… Read More
BOSTON – The federal government says $5 million in disaster aid is available to the shellfishing industry in Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire after this year’s red tide outbreak. NOAA Fisheries Service said Tuesday that Maine and Massachusetts are eligible for up to $2 million… Read More
Federal officials said Friday that the massive blooms of red tide that closed much of the New England coast to shellfish collecting constituted a commercial fishing failure, a designation that opens the door for federal disaster assistance. Many shellfish beds along the Maine coast were… Read More
GLOUCESTER, Mass. – When Arthur Sawyer was a teenager, fishing boats packed Gloucester Harbor, and all you had to do to land a job on the waterfront was ask. On a late fall afternoon 40 years later, Sawyer’s boat, Miss Carla, was one of the few working vessels… Read More
PORTLAND – A ferocious-looking denizen of the deep that can gobble up whole urchins and crabs in a few swift chomps is in need of protection, according to a petition filed with the federal government. The Conservation Law Foundation asked the National Oceanic and Atmospheric… Read More
ELLSWORTH – Lobstermen will ask fishery regulators to open the herring fishery to additional days of fishing today when they meet with representatives from Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission in New Hampshire. The herring catch provides lobster fishermen with the bait they need, and restrictions… Read More
Fisheries regulators from Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire have taken a big bite out of the number of days that fishing boats can land herring, alarming Maine fishermen who depend upon herring for their livelihoods. And it’s not just Maine’s purse-seine fishermen who are concerned. Read More
ELLSWORTH – The 2005 season is generally considered among the worst for red tide closures, but officials with the Maine Department of Marine Resources fear this season could be even worse. “This is the largest closure for clams that we have ever had to put… Read More
AUGUSTA – The deadline for Mainers hoping to obtain a scallop fishing license has been extended by legislative action to May 1. The passage of LD 2071, An Act to Amend Maine’s Scallop Laws, means that Maine will restrict the issuance of scallop licenses in… Read More
PORTLAND – Maine fishermen remain at odds over whether to develop a $100 million buyout plan designed to assist New England’s struggling groundfishing industry. Owners of large, Portland-based draggers back the idea of reducing the fleet’s fishing capacity by at least 25 percent by paying… Read More
ROCKLAND – Maine’s lobster fishermen are being asked to vote on a new system designed to reduce the number of traps in the water. A law passed in September 2007 requires the commissioner of the Maine Department of Marine Resources to adopt rules that establish… Read More
ROCKLAND – Local commercial fishermen were polite but cool this week while taking their first look at an industry-funded buyout proposal. State Marine Resources Commissioner George Lapointe introduced a proposal for a $100 million federal buyout program aimed at reducing the number of fishermen and… Read More
PORTLAND – Groundfishing boats are abandoning Portland and heading south, cutting the local fish supply for seafood processors and the Portland Fish Exchange and costing businesses that serve the fleet lost revenue. Most of the harbor’s medium and large boats are taking their catches to… Read More
The ocean’s resources are renewable if they’re managed well. That demands science-based management, but when there’s not enough science, the door is wide open for manipulation by special interests. That sort of manipulation is occurring right now, and it illustrates the need for continued research… Read More
PORTLAND – Two Maine-based commercial fishing groups are suing the federal government in hopes of getting herring trawlers banned from certain New England fishing grounds. In their suit, the Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance and the Midcoast Fishermen’s Association claim federal regulatory agencies aren’t doing enough… Read More
WASHINGTON – Intensive farming of salmon for American dinner plates is threatening some wild salmon populations with imminent extinction, according to the most detailed study ever done of the contentious issue. The study, focused on West Coast salmon populations, comes as the federal government and… Read More
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The U.S. Senate has asked the Secretary of Commerce to re-examine a decision denying emergency assistance to New England fishermen. The resolution, which passed Tuesday, requests that the Department of Commerce reverse an October decision rejecting a request from the governors of… Read More
EASTPORT – U.S. Coast Guard officials abruptly halted a fishing trip Tuesday about 13 miles east of Eastport because the vessel failed an at-sea safety inspection. A 41-foot boat and crew members from the Eastport Coast Guard Station boarded the fishing vessel Four Brats of… Read More
SAINT JOHN, New Brunswick – A consultant recommends limiting the number of fish plants in New Brunswick and proposes a new arrangement for distributing crab quota among them. Gilles Theriault, a veteran of many New Brunswick fisheries battles over 35 years, said Maine’s neighboring province… Read More
SAINT JOHN, New Brunswick – They look as appetizing as a cactus and taste like low tide, but not even that has been enough to keep New Brunswick’s green sea urchins out of a prickly predicament. Dredged up from the bottom of the Bay of… Read More
BAR HARBOR – Conditions might not be ideal, but federal regulators announced Monday that the New England groundfish industry is not threatened enough to warrant emergency federal funding for fishermen. State officials in Maine, Massachusetts and Rhode Island had asked the National Oceanic and Atmospheric… Read More
ROCKLAND – The captain of the Western Sea fishing boat and the vessel’s owner face $510,000 in fines from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration for allegedly failing to comply with federal reporting laws on herring landings. NOAA concluded that the vessel’s captain, Daniel Fill,… Read More
SACO – Two Maine-based commercial fishing groups said Thursday they are filing a petition with federal regulators asking that herring trawlers be banned from certain fishing grounds in New England. Earthjustice, a national law firm based in California, filed the petition with the secretary of… Read More
The rule about lobster fishing gear that many people have expected the federal government to issue has now become officially confirmed, but many people aren’t happy about it. Environmental organizations sued the National Marine Fisheries Service earlier this year, claiming the federal agency was taking… Read More
ELLSWORTH – There would be a price to pay for Maine lobster fishermen if the federal government, seeking to offer more protections to endangered whales, requires the fishermen to switch to more expensive, whale-friendly fishing gear. But lobstermen seem to be willing to pay another… Read More
BOSTON – Fishermen catch fish. At least, Robert St. Pierre thought that was his job, but years of working under restrictive and complicated federal rules made him wonder. Daily catch limits on protected species such as cod were so low, he had to be careful… Read More
PORTLAND – Fishermen say they are seeing more herring returning to the Gulf of Maine where a ban on trawlers that drag nets through the water has been in effect through the summer. “There has been lots of sea life, and it kind of amazes… Read More
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Gov. Don Carcieri is seeking federal relief for the state’s fishing industry as it struggles under increasingly tough restrictions. In a letter to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez, Carcieri asked Gutierrez to declare the Northeast a “fisheries resource disaster,” the first… Read More
DURHAM, N.H. – The number and quality of giant bluefin tuna are declining in the Gulf of Maine, endangering the popular catch, according to University of New Hampshire researchers. Their study does not pinpoint why the number of bluefins is falling dramatically or why the… Read More
ISLE AU HAUT – The fortunes of Maine’s fishing industry long have depended upon the number of fish in the sea. There have been plenty, but as human tastes and technology have changed over the years the populations of several marine species have declined. Many… Read More
Price and supply almost always are an issue for Maine lobster fishermen, even as catch totals have climbed steadily upward over the past 20 years. It’s rare, however, that lobstermen feel compelled to stop fishing en masse to protest prices that they say are too… Read More
COREA – One by one or in small fleets, more than 70 lobster boats motored into Corea Harbor on Monday morning, each vessel conspicuously missing the same thing: its traps. Lobstermen cut the engines, parked their boats in the bay, and stood idly on the… Read More
FREDERICTON, New Brunswick – Herring quotas are expected to dominate discussion when federal Fisheries Minister Loyola Hearn visits New Brunswick Friday. He is scheduled to sit down with New Brunswick fisheries minister Rick Doucet in Miramichi for a late-afternoon meeting. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define… Read More
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – State environmental officials are enacting emergency regulations to protect schools of menhaden that have been migrating into Narragansett Bay for the first time in years. The schools are luring out-of-state fishermen who use airplanes to find the schools of small bait fish,… Read More
A newly formed coalition said Wednesday that tougher federal regulations are needed to protect New England’s populations of herring, a forage fish that is critical to both marine ecosystems and Maine’s coastal economy. Herring are a key food source for everything from whales to cod… Read More
JONESPORT – On a warm, sunny day last week, diver Donny Engels dropped over the side of a fishing boat and into the cold, murky waters of Moosabec Reach near the bridge between Jonesport and Beals Island in search of scallops. Engels was not harvesting,… Read More
A Stonington organization is spearheading a campaign, to be announced formally today, to save groundfish stocks simultaneously in the Gulf of Maine and the coastal communities that were built around this once-robust fishery. The centerpiece of the “Downeast Initiative,” as the campaign is known, is… Read More
NEW YORK – The armed agents stroll into the frigid market, where the pungent stink of seafood assaults them. The smell pervades their clothes and the scaly, gooey water clings to their boots. They pass burly men slinging slabs of fish with gleaming hooks and… Read More
Rebuilding the state’s commercial fishery through research and development that leads to more lobsters, clams and fish in Maine’s waters is a project with merit. Rep. Ian Emery of Cutler has proposed a $55 million bond to do this. While this is more money than the state can… Read More
WASHINGTON – A sharp decline in big sharks along the Eastern Seaboard has prompted a boom in other marine species that is devastating valuable commercial fisheries, researchers are reporting Friday in the journal Science. The study – by a team of Canadian and American scientists… Read More
AUGUSTA – Something needs to be done to help the ailing groundfish industry in Maine, the Legislature’s marine resources committee indicated Wednesday, but it will not come at the expense of the state’s healthy lobster fishery. The committee took quick action to kill the bill,… Read More
WASHINGTON – The Bush administration wants to allow ocean farming for shellfish, salmon and saltwater species in federal waters for the first time, hoping to grab a greater share of the $70 billion aquaculture market. A plan being announced Monday by Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez… Read More
AUGUSTA – Hundreds of fishermen showed up at a state public hearing Monday at the Civic Center for a bill that would allow draggers to land lobsters in Maine. Applause that occasionally followed comments opposed to the bill was a good indicator of how the… Read More
ROCKPORT – The lobster fisherman’s rugged independence is legendary, but it can come at a high cost. Jason Lemos, 32, of Rye, N.H., learned that lesson last fall after being pulled overboard, but he lived to tell the tale at the Maine Fishermen’s Forum on… Read More
ROCKPORT – State and federal regulators had mixed messages Friday for lobstermen expecting new gear restrictions intended to protect endangered whales. First of all, fishermen will have to wait a bit longer to find out what kind of gear they will need under the new… Read More
Lobster fishermen and scientists had a feeling last year that overall landings in Maine would be down for 2006, but a yearlong price drop has resulted in a $42 million decrease in the yearly total value of lobster caught in the state. Preliminary figures compiled… Read More
BELFAST – Politics may be called the art of compromise but the state’s lobster fishermen are hardly politicians and they’re not about to compromise when it comes to a proposal that would open the lobster fishery to draggers. About two dozen lobster fishermen gathered for… Read More
PORTLAND – The lobster industry presented a united front Tuesday against a proposal aimed at helping fishermen and the Portland Fish Exchange by allowing trawlers to sell in Maine the lobsters that inadvertently end up in nets. Supporters of the bill contend Maine is losing… Read More
ROCKPORT – A single degree change in the temperature of the Gulf of Maine waters can mean the difference between shrimp laying eggs or not laying eggs, said Chilloa Young, coordinator of the annual Maine Fishermen’s Forum. Accordingly, a seminar on the impact of climate… Read More
PORTLAND – The Portland Fish Exchange is continuing to lose money, officials said Monday, and the situation has gotten so bad that the human auctioneer will soon be giving way to a computer. Landings at the 20-year-old display auction dipped to 660,000 pounds last month,… Read More
PORTLAND – A longtime fisherman who owns five trawlers is bringing to the city a 380-foot freezer ship that will allow fishermen to target New England’s healthy herring and mackerel stocks. American Freedom is due to arrive later this week in Portland Harbor after more… Read More
BOSTON – Massachusetts and New Hampshire officials filed a joint lawsuit Tuesday against the federal government, opposing new laws aimed at protecting valuable fish stock by limiting the number of days fishermen are allowed at sea. The rules, called Framework 42, count each day in… Read More
CHATHAM, Mass. – A Chatham fisherman is seeking support for an official study of the gray seal population in Cape Cod waters to see if, as he suspects, their numbers are having a negative effect on local fish stocks. Paul Bremser believes the seal population… Read More
Maine’s harvesters of shellfish – clams, mussels and quahogs – and others whose incomes were interrupted last year by the extended red tide closures from Down East to Kittery will have chances to speak their minds this month at a series of meetings organized by the Maine Department… Read More
PROSPECT HARBOR – While the sight of fishing boats along Maine’s coast is nothing new, area fishermen and lobstermen likely will be keeping a close eye on a pair of soon-to-be neighbors in the water. Stinson Seafood Co., which owns Maine’s last sardine cannery, has… Read More
New England fisheries regulators, who met in Portland last week, approved a further reduction in the number of days groundfishermen can go out to sea. There is a better way to manage the country’s fisheries without forcing fishermen to sit at home. A quota system, coupled with a… Read More
A Canadian company with aquaculture operations within a few miles of Washington County has estimated that 100,000 fish were set loose into Passamaquoddy Bay when 11 cages were deliberately vandalized, a spokeswoman for the company said Wednesday. Nell Halse of Cooke Aquaculture said the value… Read More
PORTLAND – Maine lobster industry leaders support a proposed seasonal ban on fishing boats that catch herring, the primary source of bait for the state’s thousands of lobstermen, in coastal waters. Fishery regulators are recommending that the federal government impose a seasonal ban on boats… Read More
A suspected act of sabotage that resulted in tens of thousands of penned salmon escaping into Passamaquoddy Bay is being investigated by Canadian authorities and has Maine officials worried about the possible effects on wild salmon in the eastern part of the state. Alain Bryar,… Read More
PORTLAND – For the second year in a row, Maine lobstermen have enjoyed a late-season surge that has eased fears of a pending collapse of the lobster population. The summer months traditionally have been the peak moneymaking time for lobstermen. But the past couple of… Read More
NEW BEDFORD, Mass. – An increase in its already lucrative scallop catch helped make New Bedford the most valuable fishing port in the country for the fifth year in a row. New Bedford fishermen caught $206 million in fish in 2004, compared with second-ranked Dutch… Read More
BRUNSWICK – Airboats, which are called the only new tool clam diggers have gained in a century, can now be run on Sundays on the remote flats of this coastal town. And the other half of a double victory for clammers allows them to dig… Read More
PORTLAND – A Casco Bay mussel farmer’s plan to expand to a location near Hope Island faces opposition from Chebeague Island lobstermen, who fear they’ll be forced out of traditional waters where they set their traps. Tollef Olson already has mussel rafts on the west… Read More
BOSTON – New England lawmakers will seek changes in Bush administration proposals to modify the way federal fishing quotas are divided up within the industry. But some environmental groups expressed support for the administration’s proposals. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]];… Read More
MOUNT DESERT – Some proposed federal fishing regulations might sacrifice the Down East lobster industry in order to attempt to save endangered North Atlantic whales, a local author said recently at a reading at Port in a Storm Bookstore in Somesville. “Some of the regulations… Read More
WASHINGTON – Everyone agrees that the nation’s fisheries management system needs an overhaul. The question is how. Monday the Bush administration took a stab at the problem, sending legislation to Capitol Hill that would create a free-market approach to regulating commercial fishing and revamp the… Read More
WASHINGTON – The Bush administration proposed new guidelines Monday that it said would prevent overfishing, part of a plan for managing the nation’s marine resources. Critics say they ignore important recommendations from a presidential commission. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]];… Read More
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The amount of adult cod in New England waters decreased in 2004 as overfishing continued, according to a report released by federal regulators on Tuesday. Representatives of environmental groups expressed concern at the falling numbers and warned that the cod stock, a… Read More
Just as this summer’s record-breaking red tide bloom seemed to be subsiding, a fresh batch of the toxic plankton has materialized near the Canadian border. Within the next week, red tides – particularly in the northern parts of the state that were spared the worst… Read More
WHITING – Heading into their sixth week without work, clam diggers who make their livings from Cobscook Bay called on the state Tuesday evening to open up their closed flats. About 25 clam diggers from Lubec to Eastport gathered at the Whiting community building to… Read More
ST. GEORGE, New Brunswick – New Brunswick’s beleaguered salmon farming industry, devastated by a recent disease outbreak, is getting up to $20 million in aid from the federal government. Andy Scott, New Brunswick’s representative in the federal cabinet, made the announcement Tuesday in St. George,… Read More
WASHINGTON – New guidelines aimed at preventing overfishing were proposed Wednesday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The proposal is designed to guide the local and regional fishery councils that set the rules to prevent overfishing and help rebuild fish stocks in various parts… Read More
With a large segment of the Maine coast affected by red tide, Gov. John Baldacci on Friday issued an emergency proclamation seeking federal assistance for those in the shellfish and related industries affected by the invasion of the tiny plankton that taint clams, mussels, oysters and other edible,… Read More
BOSTON – The federal government will offer low-interest loans to shellfishermen and others harmed by the state’s red tide outbreak, Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney announced on Tuesday. “The impact of [red tide] on fisherman, processors and restaurateurs is significant, and it’s calling for a convergence… Read More
ELLSWORTH – Sinking rope, breakaway lines and seasonal restrictions on fishing are all being considered in a federal plan for protecting whales – particularly federally endangered right whales – off Maine’s coast. Local lobstermen Monday packed a meeting room at the Holiday Inn to express… Read More
STONINGTON – A fledgling, community-based fisheries organization has taken on two projects – one short-term, the other long-term – as part of its effort to support the local fishery. Penobscot East Resource Center is currently raising funds for the two projects, development of a lobster… Read More
PORTSMOUTH, N.H. – When the New England Fishery Management Council meets in Portsmouth this week, the sinking of a New Bedford, Mass., fishing boat in December that left five fishermen dead is certain to be a heated topic of discussion. The NEFMC is an 18-member… Read More
WASHINGTON – The Bush administration on Tuesday upheld the imposition of penalty tariffs on shrimp imports from China and Vietnam, handing a victory to beleaguered U.S. shrimp producers. The action affirmed with slight modifications a preliminary ruling by the Commerce Department’s International Trade Administration last… Read More
LAMOINE – The state has reopened 6,300 acres of fishing grounds around the south end of Mount Desert Island, including some areas that have been closed to shellfish harvesting for more than two decades. It is the largest reopening of fishing territory in Down East… Read More
PORTLAND – The recent closure of a prized fishing area near the Canadian border is drawing industry criticism. Ordered to prevent overfishing of yellowtail flounder and uphold a resource-sharing agreement with Canada, the Oct. 1 closure covers hundreds of square miles on Georges Bank. googletag.cmd.push(function… Read More
FRANKLIN – Nick Brown flutters his fingers against the deep green water of a 3,000-gallon tank. Nothing. The water remains as dark and still as a Down East night. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner… Read More
A Maine groundfisherman made his case before senators, representatives and the nation’s top federal fisheries administrator in Washington, D.C., Tuesday morning, arguing that New England’s fishing families need security. “One of the hardest things to accept is that even as fish stocks have grown, so… Read More
PORTLAND – The recent discovery of some 48,000 pounds of juvenile haddock mixed in with the catch from two herring trawlers has some fishermen worried about the impact on efforts to rebuild groundfish stocks. The Maine Marine Patrol boarded the boats Aug. 10 and found… Read More
NEW ORLEANS – New rules on the hooks “longline” fishermen can use do not go far enough to protect endangered sea turtles from injury and death, an ocean watchdog group said. After three years of research, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has ruled that… Read More
BOSTON – Back when the oceans were open to fishermen 365 days a year, a bad trip could be met with a shrug and the confidence there was plenty of time and fish to make up for it. With fishing days now cut to their… Read More
The fight over what’s best for Maine’s groundfish didn’t end with the new Amendment 13 rules that took effect earlier this month. Wednesday, two of the environmental groups responsible for the original lawsuit that led to the new rules governing the catch of a dozen… Read More
BOSTON – A plan to aid the fishing industry by creating a new class of fishing days is lagging, say its authors, who worry it’s being thwarted by a rivalry between Maine and Massachusetts. “I don’t know the history of Maine versus Massachusetts, but [the… Read More
ROCKPORT – A survey of lobster larvae suggests that landings may fall off this year and next. And the dreaded lobster shell disease, which devastated the fishery in Long Island Sound in 1997 and is beginning to be seen in Maine, may be linked to… Read More
WASHINGTON – Mike Terrenzi is finding it harder to catch tuna in Cape Cod’s Great South Channel. The lucrative fish, he said, are spending less time in the channel because their food supply there is dwindling. And as tuna, cod and other fish go farther… Read More
WASHINGTON – The Senate Wednesday passed legislation that would allow new fishing restrictions to begin May 1 and would overturn a five-month delay signed into law by the president just last Thursday. The change of heart came after fishery management officials assured Sen. Susan Collins,… Read More
PORTLAND – The opening of the northern shrimp season brought plenty of shrimp but few buyers, forcing some fishermen to unload their catch at cut-rate prices. About 50,000 pounds of unsold shrimp sat on ice at the Portland Fish Exchange Wednesday morning as fishermen and… Read More
WASHINGTON – Farm-raised salmon contain significantly more dioxins and other potentially cancer-causing pollutants than salmon caught in the wild, says a study that could confuse consumers long told the fish is heart-healthy. The study tested contaminants in 700 salmon bought around the world and found… Read More
PORTLAND – U.S. Sen. Susan Collins is asking members of the New England Fisheries Council to reconsider a new set of proposed fishing regulations. Collins, R-Maine, said that the new regulations would devastate Maine fishermen and the state’s fishing industry. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define… Read More
WINTERPORT – The race is on. Aquaculture needs a better vaccine for infectious salmon anemia, the flulike disease that has cost Maine’s salmon farms more than $11 million in recent years. A new company called Maine BioTek Inc. believes it can deliver such a vaccine. Read More
STONINGTON, Conn. – Connecticut fishermen say they will suffer from proposed federal regulations that would further limit their days at sea, but don’t know what the toll will be on the state’s lone fishing fleet. “Everyone will take a hit. That’s for sure,” said John… Read More
BARNEGAT LIGHT, N.J. – Just five years after the commercial scallop-fishing industry in New Jersey appeared near bankruptcy due to overfishing and other problems, it continues to make a stunning economic comeback. In 1998, a time when government regulations allowed fishing boats to spend hundreds… Read More
DEER ISLE – Strict new groundfishing restrictions are weighing heavily on his mind, but Scott McGuire is still hopeful that he can load up his boat, the Miss Whitney, and troll the Atlantic for a catch of cod, pollock and hake come spring. This fisherman’s… Read More
Atlantic salmon farming is one of the most polarized and politicized industries in the state. But this week, the aquaculture companies, regulators and environmentalists who are struggling to come to terms with a federal judge’s scathing judgement of the industry agree on one thing: Sweeping change is inevitable. Read More
WASHINGTON – Scientists reported a 90 percent decline in large predatory fish in the world’s oceans since a half century ago, a dire assessment that drew immediate skepticism from commercial fishermen. Analyzing nearly 50 years of data, two marine scientists at Dalhousie University in Canada… Read More