Articles

Lobster Zone Boundaries: What’s fair?

A state plan to double-tag lobster traps for enforcement purposes in Zones F and G starting Sept. 1 has revived a slumbering issue for harvesters in Zone F, in Casco Bay between Cape Small and Cape Elizabeth, who say they’re tired of watching harvesters from other states set traps wherever they want while they are restricted by

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Lobster landings are down, but value is up

Preliminary information for 2005 Maine lobster landings show a total of 63 million pounds, down from 2004 when landings totaled 70.8 million pounds. The overall value set a record, however, reaching $289.7 million so far, up from the previous year’s $285 million, according to the Maine Department of Marine Resources. Prices throughout the year were

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Lobster fishermen face new rope rules

Preliminary landings totals indicate last year’s Maine lobster landings were down by more than six million pounds. The good news is the overall price for the state’s most valuable seafood also reached an all-time high. Lower landings may not cause all Maine lobstermen to worry, but there are other areas of concern. One is a

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Trapping Cod Technology shows promise, but could run afoul of whale regulations

The cod fishery may be going to pot. But in this case, it’s a good thing: at the March Fishermen’s Forum in Rockport, scientists and gear manufacturers unveiled experimental gear that could improve fishing, reduce bycatch and help conserve regional stocks, including a pot to catch codfish. Michael Pol, a biologist with the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, 

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Great American Shrimp

If you live in Maine and think of shrimp as those sweet little Pandalus borealis sold from trucks by the side of the road during winter, think again. Even though the fishery served for generations as a winter mainstay for many state harvesters, Maine’s little shrimp are scarcely a blip on the radar of U.S. shrimp consumption.

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