By the year 2020, annual seafood demand in the United States will increase by one billion pounds. Assuming that our per-capita seafood consumption remains at its current average of 15 pounds per year, that translates to roughly three billion more pounds of landed fish. Where will all that seafood come from? The statistics and the
Coming soon …to a menu near you
Whether mainstream restaurant menus will eventually offer little-known species with curious names like snakehead depends on several factors. Name recognition is one hurdle, but marketers have a demonstrated agility overcoming that one; witness the popularity of cape shark (a re-branded spiny dogfish) and ocean catfish (Atlantic wolf fish). The perennial quip at the Seafood Show
Trends in the seafood market will affect Maine industry
Howard Johnson also spoke at the Maine Fishermen’s Forum in early March. His message was the same: worldwide, seafood consumption is rising. Globally, countries are consuming more and more of their seafood supply, which could lead to an increasing need for the U.S. to reduce its dependence on imported seafood. Johnson sees “an opportunity for
Fencing off the ocean: Marine Protected Areas are a
The marine protected areas debate has matured to the point where everyone – government regulators, industry, scientists, environmentalists – acknowledges that marine protected areas (MPAs) are a concept that is here to stay. Depending on how you define them, despite pressure from environmentalists and the endorsement of two presidents, Clinton and now Bush, few marine
Etnier named Deputy Commissioner of DMR
David Etnier of Harpswell was named Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Marine Resources (DMR). George Lapointe, DMR Commissioner, made the announcement on Feb. 28 at the Fishermen’s Forum in Rockland. As DMR’s chief liaison to the Maine Legislature’s Marine Resources Committee, Etnier’s experience in Maine politics will serve him well. A Democrat, Etnier represented
Close to home: Two countries try community-based management
Community-based resource management, a simple-sounding concept, actually requires hard, frustrating effort say, those who try it. Despite the obstacles, a few organizations in New England and Atlantic Canada are slouching toward some measure of success. In recent years no resource issue has been more contentious in Atlantic Canada than the native vs. non-native fisheries problem.
Report proposes
A recent report suggests a radical change for state fisheries management in Maine. According to the report, “Reforming Fisheries Management in Maine,” prepared for the Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR), the agency could take itself out of the day-to-day management of state fisheries by turning management over to a council made up of elected
Scientist has concrete idea for lobster habitat
A New Brunswick scientist who has been working with different strengths of concrete is planning to construct lobster habitats out of the material. Buquan Miao, an engineering professor at the Universite de Moncton, has been experimenting with concrete for 20 years and has produced, on the one hand, a substance as light as Styrofoam and,
Coastal ice scrapes bottoms, hampers travel
The 2002-2003 winter was hardly a record-setter in the books of the National Weather Service, but for seasoned island residents it brought forth many memories. The most ice seen in nearly a generation quickly built in upper Penobscot Bay towards the end of February after two months of sustained cold. Ferry trips were delayed and
Friendship Village Hardware lives up to its name
You feel the worn board floor underfoot, catch a whiff of woodsmoke. “Good morning,” someone says. Your eyes adjust to the shadowy light, among old shelves lined with marine supplies and other wares. It could be 1953 instead of 2003, even if the Flexible Flyer sleds and P.F. Flyer sneakers are long gone This is