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
BRIDGEWATER, Nova Scotia – The fall lobster season in the lobster-rich waters of western Nova Scotia got under way amid worries about low prices that fishermen will get for their catch. Monday was the first day of the fall lobster season for Nova Scotia fishermen… Read More
This year isn’t turning out to be one that members of Maine’s lobstering community will remember as one of their best. And according to some, 2009 probably won’t be, either. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var… Read More
ROCKLAND – Altogether 33 local merchants plan to be involved in a giveaway program Saturday to help the local lobster industry. Heidi Stevens, co-owner of By George Jewelers and organizer of the movement, said Wednesday the idea to help local lobstermen came to her early… Read More
DEER ISLE – Deer Isle lobsterman LeRoy Bridges lost two traps recently. When he figured out how much it would cost to replace them, he realized how bad the state’s lobster price crisis has become. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]];… Read More
DEER ISLE – In an effort to generate a market for Maine lobster, the Maine Lobster Promotion Council has developed a radio campaign in Maine that will run public service announcements on 25 radio stations around the state. Council Executive Director Dane Somer said the… Read More
DEER ISLE – The decline in the price fishermen get for lobster will be the topic of a community meeting at 6 tonight at the Reach Performing Arts Center. Sponsored by the Penobscot East Resource Center, the “Community Lobster Crisis” meeting will provide an opportunity… Read More
ROCKLAND – The Maine Lobstermen’s Association hosted a meeting Tuesday to educate midcoast state legislative candidates on issues facing the industry. Gathering at Rockland City Hall, the candidates were given a primer on lobster fishing reduction, lobster economics and industry conservation. googletag.cmd.push(function () { //… Read More
ROCKLAND – Three public meetings this week in Ellsworth, Rockland and Portland on sustainable lobster fishing practices and market certification produced the support organizers had wanted. “We had a lot of good ideas and very positive support,” said John Hathaway, chairman of the Governor’s Working… 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
BOOTHBAY HARBOR – The campus smells of salted herring. The dorms were built in 1786. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i < slot_sizes.length; i++) { if (isMobileDevice())… Read More
PORTLAND – It’s peak season for lobster and tourism in Maine, yet consumption of this crustacean has fallen to the point where it costs no more than sliced turkey in parts of New England. A solid harvest and diminished demand from diners adjusting to the… Read More
PORTLAND – Shipments of North American lobster, also known as Maine lobster, have been banned by Japan because of a misunderstanding over safety, U.S. officials said Wednesday. News of the stalled shipments of live lobster swept across the New England waterfront two days after the… Read More
WASHINGTON – The government warned consumers Monday not to eat the soft, green substance found in the body cavity of lobsters, saying it may be contaminated with a toxin. It is still OK to eat the white lobster meat found in the claws and tails… Read More
BOSTON – The rubber bands that bind lobster claws in Massachusetts are now about more than protecting people from their dinner. They’re also about protecting whales. Beginning this weekend, lobsters caught off the state’s coast will have green bands on their claws stamped with “Massachusetts”… Read More
BARRINGTON, Nova Scotia – Some lobster fishermen in Canada are angry that as many as 45 inshore draggers are expected to arrive in waters off southwestern Nova Scotia on Monday to begin dragging the bottom for scallops. The lobstermen say the scallop rakes smash, puncture… Read More
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CHARLOTTETOWN, Prince Edward Island – Anyone looking for some free lobster should head over to Prince Edward Island next Wednesday. Lobster fishermen will protest the low prices they’re getting by handing out lobster to the public free of charge at a mall in Charlottetown. googletag.cmd.push(function… Read More
CAPE ELIZABETH – When it comes to lobster, Kathryn Rolston is all about tails. She finds it easier to wrestle from the shell than claw meat, and more substantial. But for Gene Beaudoin, her lunch companion, it’s the claws that make the meal. He says… Read More
U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe is proposing a way to help fishermen pay for federally mandated equipment modifications and safety improvements that the fishermen say will undercut their livelihoods. Federal tax laws already permit fishermen to put portions of their pre-tax income toward capital boat costs… Read More
PORTLAND – The Maine lobster industry has long been held up as a well-run fishery. Now it’s seeking a seal of approval to prove it. Efforts are under way to have the state’s signature seafood certified as sustainable by an international organization that evaluates fishing… Read More
JUDIQUE, Nova Scotia – A Canadian development association wants to grow lobsters that have a greater chance of survival after being released into the ocean. Spokesman John MacInnis of the Judique group says the plan is to grow the lobsters to a stage in which… Read More
ROCKPORT – The Maine Lobstermen’s Association is running out of legal defense funds, but it will have some new help in fighting federal fishing gear requirements that are expected to take effect in October. The group has found a Washington, D.C., law firm willing to… 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
Preliminary figures released Tuesday by state officials indicate that the amount of lobster caught in Maine in 2007 fell by nearly 23 percent from the previous year. Just 56 million pounds of lobster with a total value of $248.5 million were brought ashore in Maine… Read More
BREWER – A required change in fishing gear for lobstermen was criticized Tuesday for not having enough scientific data to back it up, but it wasn’t only fishermen who took aim at the pending federal regulation. U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe, who chaired a Senate subcommittee… Read More
A group of nine U.S. senators is requesting that the federal government provide $14 million to lobster fishermen who have to modify their fishing gear in order to comply with a new federal law aimed at protecting endangered whales. Maine Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan… Read More
PORTLAND – Two brothers are selling more than just lobsters from their waterfront business. They’re selling the lobstering experience – and it doesn’t come cheap. For $2,995 a year, customers buy the rights to all the lobsters caught in a designated trap off the rocky… Read More
YARMOUTH, Nova Scotia – Hundreds of vessels will leave Nova Scotia wharves on Monday to participate in a fall lobster fishery that is facing some pricing challenges. The federal Fisheries Department says approximately 1,700 vessels will depart from Digby County to Halifax County on what’s… Read More
GRAND MANAN, New Brunswick – Some New Brunswick lobster fishermen will head out to sea Nov. 13, but Grand Manan Fishing Association general manager Klaus Sonnenberg says they should prepare for rough waters when it comes to profits this year. “One thing we know is… 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
PORTLAND – Lobstermen in the ’90s and early this decade went like gangbusters in August catching Maine’s signature seafood, making it the No. 1 month to catch lobsters. But lobstermen now get their biggest hauls in the fall, and October has emerged as the top… Read More
There are plenty of places along the Maine coast where anyone can walk down to the end of a rustic pier and buy fresh or freshly cooked lobster while taking in a view of the water. But that’s not how most of the lobster that… 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
STONINGTON – Armed with matching funds approved recently by voters, the town’s economic development committee will submit an application this week seeking state funds to study issues surrounding the local fishing industry. Fishing, and lobsters in particular, are vital to the local year-round economy, and… Read More
It has been a tough early season for Maine lobstermen, and fishing has been hard and slow. But the tide may be turning, and there are indications things may be picking up in areas along the Maine coast. “This is as poor a season as… Read More
A Stonington lobster hatchery is in full production for its second year of raising young lobsters for seeding in the Penobscot Bay area and plans to expand its research project to include rearing older lobsters as well. Working with local fishermen, the Zone C Lobster… Read More
EASTPORT – Lobstermen who battle high winds, fog and unpredictable weather now fear they will have to face off against LNG supertankers that could be plowing through lobster beds and destroying gear. Members of the Cobscook Bay Fishermen’s Association met with officials from Oklahoma-based Quoddy… Read More
PORTLAND – Three hundred lobsters have a new lease on life thanks to an anonymous group that secured their release in Maine. The episode unfolded in the midst of a lobster shortage and record prices when a group of young people arrived at New Meadows… Read More
Since the early part of the 20th century, lobster has had a reputation as a luxury food, a culinary experience suited for the upper crust of society, especially for those who live away from the New England coast. Now, its reputation as an expensive meal… Read More
Langostino? Kristen Millar knows what it is. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i < slot_sizes.length; i++) { if (isMobileDevice()) { if (slot_sizes[i][0] googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define… 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
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
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
HALIFAX, Nova Scotia – Despite stepped-up surveillance for illegal lobster in Nova Scotia, trucks bound for the United States still face delays at the border. “This is a live product, so delays are always a concern,” Denny Morrow, executive director of the Nova Scotia Fish… Read More
For many Maine lobster fishermen, a looming federal decision on what kind of equipment they’ll be allowed to use on their gear is giving them a sinking feeling. They’re worried that the National Marine Fisheries Service will require them to use a type of rope… Read More
BANGOR – Two lobstermen have settled their dispute with the town of Cutler over preferential use of the harbor and will be given moorings in the harbor. The two also will be paid some $40,000 by the town, according to Ralph A. Dyer, their attorney. Read More
FREDERICTON, New Brunswick – The lobster season off southern New Brunswick was set to begin Wednesday after a one-day delay caused by raging winds and rare whales. The weather was forecast to improve Wednesday after winds gusting up to 53 mph blew through the area… Read More
FREDERICTON, New Brunswick – The opening of the lobster season off southwestern New Brunswick has been delayed by at least a day because of dangerously high winds on the Bay of Fundy. But a group of endangered North Atlantic right whales lingering in the bay… Read More
ELLSWORTH – If the opinions of 15 or so lobster fishermen who attended a public hearing Wednesday reflect those of others throughout the state, Maine fishermen are not keen on changing the rules that they say have helped make their regional fishery healthy. The Atlantic… Read More
PORTLAND – Maine lobstermen and lobster dealers want to make sure people shelling out big bucks for “Maine lobster” in restaurants across the country are not getting “impostor lobsters” from other states or from Canada. Starting Monday, the Maine Lobster Promotion Council began distributing tags… Read More
ROCKLAND – Celebrating its 216th birthday this week, the U.S. Coast Guard will be front and center of this year’s Maine Lobster Festival stage. As part of Rockland’s effort to officially become a Coast Guard City, community leaders plan a birthday salute Friday to honor… Read More
BAR HARBOR – The newest addition to the Mount Desert Oceanarium’s lobster colony looks half-baked. But it’s nothing personal. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i < slot_sizes.length;… Read More
PORTLAND – In his 65 years of fishing, David MacVane has never caught large numbers of soft-shell lobsters before July. Until this year. When soft-shell lobsters begin showing up, that means the bottom-crawling crustaceans are becoming active and Maine’s lobster harvest is picking up. googletag.cmd.push(function… Read More
ROCKPORT – Lobstermen were told Friday to expect additional regulation by state and local governments despite healthy lobster populations off Maine’s coast and a record-setting harvest last year. Government regulations and the challenge they pose to commercial fishermen were once again hot topics during the… Read More
HALIFAX, Nova Scotia – The start of the fall lobster season off southwestern Nova Scotia on Monday will be monitored closely by search and rescue officials. About 1,700 vessels will race out to dump their traps in one of the region’s richest lobster fisheries. googletag.cmd.push(function… 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 midsummer molting season for lobsters off the coast of Maine so far has prevented professionals in the industry from predicting how the yearly catch will turn out. Lobstermen and scientists alike are curious to see whether 2005 will resemble 2004, when a late-season flurry… Read More
CARAQUET, New Brunswick – Preliminary results from lobster restocking efforts off northern New Brunswick have researchers and fishermen alike excited. A team with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans spent a month painstakingly counting thousands of young lobsters in waters near this fishing community on… Read More
BRISTOL, R.I. – A rare blue lobster kept at the Audubon Society of Rhode Island has just molted, revealing an intensely hued bright blue shell. The female lobster molted last month, said Anne DiMonti, co-director of education for the group. Growing lobsters lose their shells… Read More
A sea of red tide is causing problems for clam diggers, but Maine’s lobstermen are guardedly optimistic about the upcoming season. Despite the cold winter and miserable spring, lobstermen have been surprised to see signs of an earlier start than last year, and there seems… Read More
In Cutler, a serene community of 640 in Down East Maine, fishermen ready their traps for the coming lobster season, but tension belies the picture-perfect waterfront. Ordinarily a rite of spring, the setting of moorings in Cutler Harbor became an exercise in taking sides this… Read More
NARRAGANSETT, R.I. – More lobsters are contracting shell disease, and the problem has spread from southern New England waters all the way to Maine, scientists said Wednesday at a symposium analyzing a phenomenon that has mysteriously afflicted the industry in recent years. Shell disease now… Read More
PORTLAND – Retailers aren’t the only busy ones this holiday season. Lobster exporters are bustling as well, shipping millions of dollars’ worth of lobsters overseas to Europe. For many lobster companies, December is the busiest time of year outside of the summer. That’s in large… Read More
PORTLAND – The lobster harvest is down sharply this summer and there are no signs the catch will pick up this fall, according to lobstermen and dealers. The catch is estimated to be down 25 percent to 40 percent from last year at this time… Read More
FREDERICTON, New Brunswick – A sharp decline in lobster stocks in the waters between New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island has raised fears about the future of the Maritime delicacy in at least some parts of the region. In the three weeks since fishermen headed… Read More
HALIFAX, Nova Scotia – Canada Customs and Revenue agents were examining financial records and computer files Thursday after seizing them in a series of raids related to black-market lobster sales in Nova Scotia. Eight warrants were executed on seven fishermen and two fish brokers in… Read More
ROCKLAND – Colby Drisko’s boats haul bait to Vinalhaven, North Haven, Islesboro, Isle au Haut and Matinicus and return with loads of lobster, some 1.3 million pounds last year. Not this year. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes =… Read More
BOSTON – A baffling disease that makes lobsters ugly, but not inedible, has crept northward from the Buzzards Bay hotspot where it has afflicted lobsters for several years. The numbers of infected lobsters are far too tiny to cause panic, but the disease’s progress is… Read More
PORTLAND – Lobstermen have searched for the perfect bait for as long as they’ve been catching lobsters. Now the state wants to research some of those baits to determine their effect on lobsters, humans and the environment. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes… Read More
ROCKPORT – A New Hampshire-based business is giving new meaning to the term “surf and turf” by selling a processed cowhide for lobster trap bait. Traditionally, lobstermen have stuffed inexpensive fish into their bait bags, with herring being the popular choice in Maine. As scavengers,… Read More