Marine industries watch
Maine’s fishing industry these days seems to be swimming upstream. The lobster industry continues to struggle, posting big losses in the month of October, and the scallop industry could follow in its footsteps. One bright spot: The state of Maine can receive federal financial assistance due to the debilitating effects of this year’s red tide closures. Here’s a round-up of the latest:
A drop in lobster demand fueled by the world’s stumbling financial markets caused Maine lobstermen to lose millions of dollars in October. Figures from the Maine Department of Marine Resources show that, in that month, lobstermen received less than $20 million for their catch, a third of the $60 million they brought in during the same month in 2005, a record year, according to the Associated Press. The governor has set up a task force to address the industry’s problems.
Maine’s scallop season will be cut almost in half next year in an effort to protect the health of the fishery, but fishermen are saying the move is too drastic. The DMR’s Advisory Council recently voted to shorten next year’s scallop season to Dec. 1-Jan. 4 and Feb. 25-March 31, according to Portland news channel WCSH 6. This year’s season runs from Dec. 1-April 15. The ruling also limits daily catch to 200 pounds. But the council decided not to close portions of the coast to scallop fishing, as the DMR had suggested.
Finally, Maine’s shellfish industry could get a boost, assuming the DMR doesn’t cut all red tide inspections to make ends meet, as its commissioner proposed in late November, according to the Associated Press. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Fisheries Service recently announced that Maine is eligible for up to $2 million in federal aid for losses generated by this season’s red tide closures, which the federal government deemed a commercial fishery failure, according to VillageSoup.
Mindy Favreau
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