Port Clyde — Port Clyde fisherman Glen Libby is no stranger to political advocacy. A member of the 18-member New England Fishery Management Council, Libby's first encounter with public involvement in fishery regulation took place when he was a young man, digging for clams with a friend on the St. George River.
Libby is in his third year on the New England council, one of eight regional fishery councils set up under the Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1976 — now known as the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. Each regional council manages a section of the living marine resources within the U.S. exclusive economic zone between 3 and 200 miles offshore. In addition to addressing issues relating to foreign fishing, the councils were created to promote the development of a domestic fleet and link the fishing community more directly to the management process.
Libby is one of two Maine representatives whose terms will expire in September. Up to four nominations for each vacant post will be made by the governor and forwarded to the secretary of commerce. The final selection will be announced in June, with a swearing in to follow in September. Representatives may hold three consecutive terms and can return after taking a year or more off.
"It's up to the governor," said Libby. "I don't even know if I'm on the list yet." He said the influence of the Department of Marine Resources commissioner depends on the relationship between that officeholder and the sitting governor. On Jan. 6, Gov. Paul LePage nominated acting Commissioner Pat Keliher to the post. That appointment must be confirmed by the Legislature. Libby said he was pleased with Keliher's approach to managing the shrimp season in Maine.
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