Mercury contamination closes fishing in part of Penobscot Bay
Photo Courtesy / U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
An additional 5.5-square-mile section of Penobscot Bay has been closed to lobster and crab fishing after finding mercury contamination in lobsters caught in the area.
An additional 5.5-square-mile section of Penobscot Bay has been closed to lobster and crab fishing after the Maine Department of Marine Resources found mercury contamination in lobsters caught in the area.
Jeff Nichols, the DMR’s communication director, told the Bangor Daily News the decision was made to close the section from fishing after analyzing data collected from the uppermost portion of the bay in 2014.
Officials at the DMR told the BDN that the amount of mercury found in the lobsters is less than the level found in a can of tuna. They also said a similar closure of 7 square miles in 2014, directly south of the new closure, appears to have little impact on Maine’s lobster industry, as it affected only about a dozen fishermen. The BDN noted that it is not clear yet how many fishermen might be affected by the new closure.
The BDN reported that the mercury has been traced to the now-closed HoltraChem plant in Orrington. The closure will be for an indefinite time unless data from 2015 indicate a change in the findings, the newspaper reported.
Read more
More questions raised about proposed European lobster ban
Maine raises age for completion of lobster apprenticeship
LePage adds voice to opposition of EU lobster ban
Sweden doubles down on proposed lobster ban
Most Recent
Most Recent
Comments