License dispute could delay elver season start
The start of Maine’s 10-week elver season could be delayed by two weeks or more as the state works to resolve an ongoing dispute over licensing authority with the Passamaquoddy tribe.
The Associated Press reported that the potential delay comes after the state approved an emergency bill addressing conservation efforts as the state seeks to meet requirements from regional regulators. Both the tribe and the state have agreed on the size of catch limits, but not how the limits would be imposed on tribal fishermen. An emergency bill that cleared the Legislature this week requires that tribes in Maine allocate their fishermen individual quotas from a total catch limit of 1,650 pounds. A previous agreement with the state did not require the tribes to issue individual quotas.
Department of Marine Resources Commissioner Patrick Keliher told the AP that he hopes creation of that quota allotment plan will not delay the season by more than two weeks.
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