BUCKSPORT, Maine — May 16, 2014 — State fishery officials have decided to permanently close 7 square miles of the lower Penobscot River to lobster and crab harvesting.
The Department of Marine Resources closed the area in February, citing concerns about elevated mercury levels found in lobsters along that section of river. The source of the mercury, the level of which is little more than what is found in canned white tuna, has been traced to the defunct HoltraChem plant in Orrington.
Officials have said the closure is a precautionary measure and that the mercury found in the lobster upriver from Jellison Point in Stockton Springs could pose a health threat to certain people or if someone ate a lot of it over a period of time.
The closure was enacted in February by emergency rule, which lasts for only 90 days. The decision to make the closure permanent, or until the state decides it is no longer needed, went into effect Wednesday.
The closed area is considered to be fairly small and is fished by maybe a dozen fishermen, industry officials have estimated. There are about 6,000 licensed lobstermen in Maine who spread their traps out over 14,000 square miles of ocean along the coast.
Read the full story at the Bangor Daily News