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August 23, 2007

Lobster protest expands

A protest that began earlier this week when lobstermen in Corea and Cutler refused to fish in an effort to get more money for their catch has spread to fishing villages up and down the coast.

By yesterday, lobstermen in Boothbay Harbor, Pemaquid, Stonington, Vinalhaven, Bremen, Friendship and Round Pond, among other communities, had tied up their boats in a show of solidarity, according to the Bangor Daily News. Lobstermen say the price they receive for their catch -- as low as $3.50 a pound in some places -- is not enough to cover their daily costs.

While the price lobstermen receive has remained steady for the past several years, the price of diesel fuel has nearly doubled since 2003 and bait costs have risen more than 30%, the paper said. Lobstermen are demanding at least $4 a pound.

The fact that local grocery stores sell lobster for upwards of $9 a pound also has raised the ire of lobstermen.

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