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In This Edition - Summer 2000
- Proposal for Limited Entry in Maine
- Lobster Institute Sets Project Goals
- National Marine Fisheries Service 1999
Statistics
- Research Report
- Lobster Institute Makes Commitment to Fund Raising
- Choose Another Bulletin
Maine Proposes Rule to Limit Entry to Lobster Management Zones
The Maine Department of Marine Resources has proposed limiting entry by new lobster fishermen to lobster management zones. As existing fishermen retire or leave the management zones, other fishermen can be brought in to replace them.
According to a July 10 article in the Bangor Daily News, this proposal was formulated at the request of the lobster management councils in Zones D, E, F, and G. The proposal further suggests the possibility of establishing a maximum number of days at sea, or minimum and maximum number of traps.
A schedule of public hearings to discuss the limited-entry proposal has been set by the Department of Marine Resources. Following these hearings, the commissioner hopes to release a decision on the plan by September for review by the department’s advisory council. If adopted, the limited entry zones wouldn’t come into effect until January 2001.
Public hearings where held as follows:
* Mon. July 24, University of Maine at Machias
* Tues. July 25, Ellsworth Middle School
* Wed. July 26, Kennebunk High School
* Thur. July 27, The Samoset Resort, Rockport
* Wed. Aug. 2, Wiscasset Middle School
* Thur. Aug. 3, Harrison Middle School, Yarmouth
Lobster Institute Sets Project Goals--part 1 of a 3 part series
The Lobster Institute’s Board of Advisors chaired by William Adler,
Executive Director of the Massachusetts Lobstermen’s Association, has set a
number of research and education goals for the Institute.
Three of these goals are outlined below, with future goals to be
discussed in the next two issues of the Lobster Bulletin.
Evaluation of models and data collection for stock status assessment and forecasting. Currently, the major source of information in these areas comes from the government: state, provincial and federal. Since they also set the regulations, there is a need for the fishermen’s viewpoint, which the Lobster Institute can supply. Funding to hire trained individuals to conduct this vital analysis as well as for the purchase of electronic monitoring equipment is needed to reach this goal.
· Assessment of the health of the lobster stock to determine the sources of mortality from sublegal lobsters throughout marketed lobsters. The lobster stock appears to be at risk from a bacterial menace. This is also reflected in studies that need to be done to enhance the survival and quality of lobsters in tidal pound storage. Continuous surveillance is essential to keep health problems in check. Obtaining funding for a professorship in lobster health and for technical support and microbiological analysis is critical to the continued success of this project.
· Maintaining and enhancing the Lobster Institute web site. The Institute’s website is probably the definitive site for lobster in the world, with nearly 200 links to it. The site attracts queries from lobster fisherman and researchers throughout the world. Contact via the website even played a role in the Irish lobster fishery instituting a V-notching program. Many non-industry people interested in learning more about lobsters also view the site. The Institute’s website has been visited over 30,800 times.
“We have a track record of coming to the rescue of the lobster industry, and doing it with minimal resources,” said Bob Bayer, Director of the Institute. “Many of our goals may be augmented by grant funding. However, for most immediate challenges affecting the fishery, the problems may have reached a conclusion, and not necessarily the correct one, before funding is available.”
Anyone interested in more details about Lobster Institute projects and ways to support the work of the Institute can contact Dr. Bayer or Cathy Billings at 207-581-2751.
National Marine Fisheries Service Releases 1999 Statistics
v
Northeast commercial fisheries recorded revenues of $1.07 billion
– an 11% jump from 1998.
v
Lobster revenues in the 10 coastal states from Maine to
Virginia reached
$323 million – up 27% from the 1998 figure of $254 million.
v
v
Lobsters accounted for more than 30% of all revenues in the
commercial fishery industry
Research
Report
Readers may contact the Lobster Institute for more detailed information on any of the projects reported.
v Institute Receives Funding for Food & Bait Processing Equipment – The Maine Science and Technology Foundation has provide a $100,500 grant to the Lobster Institute in conjunction with the University of Maine Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition. This grant has been matched by state bond money provided to the University of Maine for research initiatives. The $210,000 total will be used by the Institute for the purchase of processing equipment, primarily to enhance our snack food and bait projects. According to the Science and Technology Foundation the grant will “increase the efficiency and utilization of Maine’s lobster and crab fisheries through research and development of feeds, development of shelf-stable baits, and utilization of crustacean processing of by-products and culls, in collaboration with Cranberry Point Products in Gouldsboro, Maine.
Currently these projects are conducted at the Army Food Research Center in Natick, Massachusetts. With the purchase of the new equipment, processing can take place on the University of Maine campus.
v Stock Assessment Research Using Non-Vented Traps Now Underway – A grant of $6,000 provided by the Marine Studies Fellowship Program through the State of Maine Department of Marine Resources – with a match of $6,000 from Thistle Marine, Inc. of Lamoine, Maine -- has completed the funding picture for this research. These grants, together with scholarship money from the University of Maine, provide for a graduate student, Carin Poeschel, to begin focusing on this project. The main goal of the project is to assess lobster stocks with non-vented traps in order to gain a better understanding of the population structure and size distribution of lobsters in the Gulf of Maine. Data will be collected in waterproof logbooks on carapace length, location, sex, v-notch and eggs. Richard Arnold of Thistle Marine designed, developed and manufactured the HMS-410 Electronic Logbooks to be used. The data will be used to develop reports and models. In addition, an experimental non-vented juvenile trap will be developed. More information on the progress of this research will be reported in future issues of Lobster Bulletin.
v
Web Surfers Can Now See a Lobster Fisherman in Action --
The Lobster Institute has added action video-clips of actual lobster
fishing to its website. Ron Lisnet of the University of Maine’s office of
Public Affairs shot the video, which features Dana Rice, Jr. fishing off Bunkers
Harbor, Maine. It is available for download at the Institute’s website at www.lobster.um.maine.edu/lobster
.
v
Students Apply Sensor Research to Lobster Industry –
Christina Congleton of Hampden, ME, an
undergraduate student at Oberlin, has been awarded a National Science Foundation
grant to conduct research at the University of Maine this summer on the
effectiveness of using environmental sensors to evaluate lobster health.
She will work with Professor John Vetelino of the University’s
Electrical Engineering department
v Lobstah Cam To Be Back Online Soon – Rusting of components which caused Lobstah Cam to go off-line appears to be less extensive than originally thought. We anticipate Lobstah Cam will again be providing live shots of the inside of a lobster trap quite soon. Lobstah Cam can be accessed from the Lobster Institute’s website at www.lobster.um.maine.edu/lobster . Still shots can still be viewed by clicking on the Lobstah Cam and then going to the Archive Area.
Lobster Institute Makes a Strong Commitment to Fund Raising
Cathy Billings has been named to fill the new position of Assistant Director for Communications & Development at the Lobster Institute. Her primary responsibilities will be working with the “Friends of the Lobster Institute”; grant writing; and garnering support for the research and education mission of the Lobster Institute through the Lobster Fund.
The lobster industry is an integral part of the economy as well as the culture and folklore of Maine and the entire North Atlantic seaboard,” said Billings. “The Lobster Institute plays a crucial role in maintaining and expanding the viability of lobstering -- not only as an industry but as a way of life. I look forward to being part of such an important endeavor.”
“We’re pleased to welcome Cathy to the Institute,” said Executive Director Bob Bayer. “We’re at a pivotal point in the growth of the Lobster Institute. Our needs are substantial to support this great industry that is an icon for Maine and the Northeast. Bringing Cathy on board to coordinate our fund raising and communications efforts will help ensure that those needs are met.”
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