Nonprofit halts lobster hatchery
A Stonington nonprofit that has for five years hatched lobster larvae and released them into local waters has decided to suspend its hatchery operations.
The Penobscot East Resource Center cited trouble finding funds and a desire to take its research into different areas in its decision to halt hatchery work, according to the Bangor Daily News. PERC, which received funding mainly from towns on eastern Penobscot and western Blue Hill bays, plans to use the $100,000 it takes to run the hatchery each year and devote it to groundfish research. The organization has purchased a permit and plans to conduct surveys of groundfish populations in Maine, with any fish caught being given to a community-supported fishery program.
PERC Associate Director Veronica Young told the paper the organization's hatchery efforts have been successful in showing that it's possible to raise lobsters and release them as a way to boost supply. PERC raised more than 100,000 lobsters each year, and the state's lobster landings in 2009 were 75.6 million pounds, the highest recorded in Maine. "That's sort of mission accomplished," Young told the paper.
Go to the article from the Bangor Daily News >>
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