Area lobstermen are fearful that last summer's low prices could return again this year.
More than 50 area lobstermen filled the meeting room of York Public Library on Jan. 31 to hear what Department of Marine Resources Commissioner Patrick Keliher could do to help them with lobster prices during a glut as was experienced last June.
Warmer than usual water temperatures last spring drove lobsters into shallow waters to shed their hard shells at least a month ahead of schedule, making for large catches of soft-shell lobsters and low prices.
Usually on the Fourth of July when tourists arrive in Maine looking for a lobster dinner, restaurants and dealers are hungry for supply. Not this past summer.
"Around the 14th, 15th of June, dealers started calling," Keliher said. "Product was backing up on their docks."
Read the full story at Seacoast Online>>
Callifornia crabbing: Here's a fun video shot on the decks of the Majestik while catching Dungeness crab off the coast of northern California.
Alaska fisherman and commercial fisheries activist Kevin Adams was elected chairman at the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute board of directors meeting on May 9 in Anchorage.
The governor-appointed board consists of seven members: five seafood processors and two industry representatives actively engaged in commercial fishing. Adams was appointed to fill a harvester seat by Gov. Frank Murkowski in 2004.
With 38 years of fishing experience in Bristol Bay, Adams has long been an active member in the Alaska fishing industry, ASMI says. He has worked for both the Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation and the Bering Sea Fisherman's Association, and represents Alaska fishermen on numerous boards.
The Northeast Regional Planning Body, a group of state, tribal and federal representatives from New England who are working to implement the National Ocean Policy and address critical New England ocean issues, is holding a series of public meetings in May and June.
The meetings are being held to discuss draft regional ocean planning goals and associated potential actions. The planning body seeks input on these goals and actions. Additional information on the group's progress can be found here.
The meetings will also provide an opportunity to review draft maps and products from initial efforts to gather information on the natural resources and diverse uses of the ocean, including fishing, transportation, energy and infrastructure, aquaculture, and recreation.
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