Carl Wilson has been a fisheries scientist and lead lobster biologist at the department for 26 years. The nomination goes to the Legislature for consideration.
Structural problems led to renovations of walls and floors, along with upgrades to the pumps and filters, new display tanks and custom-made touch tanks.
Lobster trap rope is marked by colors to show where it's used. Analysis of the recovered gear “could indicate different gear configuration scenarios, some of which suggest state waters and others which suggest federal waters," a Maine official says.
Maine's catch of elvers was valued at $20.2 million in 2022, and this month the fishery averted a quota that would have reduced the maximum catch by a fifth. The baby eels are generally shipped to aquaculture facilities in Asia, where they are grown and processed for the food market.
In the wake of two major coastal storms, officials warn that documentation is not a guarantee of financial relief, but it helps the state to understand the magnitude and scope of the damage and the resources needed.
Funding from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation will help the state develop lobstering technology that eliminates the use of vertical lines, which can endanger North Atlantic right whales.
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