New law cracks down on lobstering outlaws
Courtesy / Tom Thai, Flickr
Harsher penalties await violators of Maine's lobster fishery regulations under a new law approved by the Legislature this year.
A bill sponsored by state Sen. Brian Langley, R-Ellsworth, to impose harsher penalties for violations in the lobster fishery has gone into effect.
The Ellsworth American reported that violations such as scrubbing (removing eggs from female) lobsters, fishing over the trap limit, fishing untagged gear and molesting lobster traps can now result in license revocation, with various levels of suspension from the fishery under provisions spelled out in LD 575, “An act to improve the enforcement of Maine's lobster laws.” Fishermen re-entering the fishery after their punishment is fulfilled also must start with a reduced number of traps and install a vessel monitoring system.
The monitoring provision drew criticism from the industry earlier this year.
“Anyone who would suggest that in order to be a lobsterman you have to waive your constitutional rights, that’s wrong,” Kim Tucker, counsel for the Maine Lobstering Union, told the newspaper in March.
However, Patrice McCarron, executive director of the Maine Lobstermen's Association, testified in support of the bill at a March 6 public hearing.
“The robust resource and stable price have meant that there is money to be made in this industry,” McCarron stated in written testimony. “While the majority of Maine lobstermen are hardworking and honest individuals, like any other industry, there are a few bad apples. There is growing concern that the rewards have become too great for those who break the law. With the earning potential at a record high, there are some who circumvent the trap limit by fishing sunken trawls or untagged traps because the financial rewards are so great. It seems that even when the offenders are caught, the cheating pays off because they are still ahead after they pay any fines or even lose their license for a period of time. And then they come back in and pick up where they left off.”
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