Saving Seafood

MAINE: Lobster fishing group withdraws support of whale agreement

September 5, 2019 — An organization that represents Maine’s lobster fishermen is pulling its support of a proposed plan to protect endangered whales.

The subject of North Atlantic right whale conservation has been a major source of contention for the lobster fishery in Maine, which supplies by far the most U.S. lobster. There are only about 400 of the whales, which are prone to entanglement in fishing gear.

The Maine Lobstermen’s Association has taken a closer reading of the science behind the plan, which a federal team recommended in April, and believes it places too much of the onus on lobster fishermen, association executive director Patrice McCarron said.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at News Center Maine

Maine group backs out of right whale agreement

September 4, 2019 — On Friday, Aug. 30, the Maine Lobstermen’s Association officially withdrew its support from a federal proposal to reduce fishery impacts on the North Atlantic right whale biomass, citing NMFS data that shows the proposal would not be effective in reducing right whale mortality.

“NMFS own data show that that the lobster fishery is the least significant cause of right whale serious injury or mortality,” said Patrice McCarron, the association’s president, “while ship strikes, gillnets and the Canadian snow crab fishery pose much greater risks.”

According to MLA’s analysis, the Canadian snow crab fishery accounts for 31 percent of right whale serious injury and mortality; gillnet and netting gear represent 13 percent; unknown trap/pot gear represents 4 percent; and U.S. trap/pot gear represents 4 percent.

U.S. and Canadian vessel strikes account for the remaining 48 percent of right whale injury and mortality.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

MAINE: Lobstermen’s group pulls its support for proposal to protect right whales

September 4, 2019 — The Maine Lobstermen’s Association is withdrawing its support for a proposed right whale protection plan, claiming it was rushed into voting in favor of major fishing restrictions without adequate time to review the science behind the plan.

Upon review, the state’s largest lobstering trade group expressed its displeasure with the plan, saying it is based on error-prone data, untested science and documentation that is biased against the lobster industry.

The association says the government unfairly focuses federal right whale conservation efforts on Northeast lobstering without fully investigating and documenting other threats to the species and its habitat, from Canadian crab fishers and shipping vessels to seismic testing and offshore wind projects.

Read the full story at the Portland Press Herald

VINEYARD WIND: Notice to Mariners and Fishermen No. 16

August 23, 2019 — The following was released by Vineyard Wind:

We wanted to let you know that the School for Marine Science and Technology (SMAST) and the Massachusetts Lobstermen’s Association (MLA) are coordinating a lobster ventless trap survey in the northern section of the Vineyard Wind lease area as well as a control area to the east.

The survey is ongoing through October 2019.

View the full notice here.

Trawls are set in East/West direction and are configured in 8 pot strings approximately 1,200 feet long marked with double highflyers and double large Go Deep buoys labeled MLA/SMAST, DA19-017.

We encourage fishermen who may be working in the survey area to contact the captains directly or contact the following:

Beth Casoni – MA Lobstermen’s Association, Phone: 508-738-1245

Crista Bank – FL Vineyard Wind, Phone: 508-525-0421

Vineyard Wind is committed to communicating and working with the local fishermen in the region during all stages of development of the proposed offshore wind farm.

Read the full release here

MASSACHUSETTS: Lobster processing claws its way into law

August 1, 2019 — The long-sought measure to expand and modernize lobster processing regulations in Massachusetts is now law, as of Gov. Charlie Baker’s signature on Wednesday.

Baker, sparing the veto pen, opted to retain the modernized lobster processing regulations in the $43.3 billion state budget for fiscal year 2020, clearing the way for Massachusetts lobster processors to begin in-state transport and processing of raw, shell-on lobster parts.

“We’re elated that the Legislature passed it and the governor signed it into law,” said Beth Casoni, executive director of the Massachusetts Lobstermen’s Association. “This will help the entire Massachusetts lobster industry compete with other states in the region.”

Under the measure, wholesale seafood dealers licensed by the state Department of Public Health will be able to process raw lobsters and import raw, shell-on lobster parts and tails. It also provides for the retail sale of already-frozen raw, in-shell tails.

Previously, Massachusetts laws allowed only the sale of live, cooked and canned lobster, as well as the processing and sale of frozen and cooked lobster tails.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

Maine Voices: Mills’ stand on fishing rules praised by lobster industry

July 29, 2019 — As Executive Director of the Maine Lobstermen’s Association (MLA), I applaud Gov. Mills’ July 11 Message to Maine’s Lobster Industry acknowledging the federal government’s “disturbing lack of evidence connecting the Maine lobster industry to recent right whale deaths.”

Maine’s lobstermen understand that right whales are at risk and we are committed to being part of the solution. But as Gov. Mills rightly points out, the data show that Maine is just a small part of a complex problem.

Lobstermen recognize that the right whale population will not improve without everyone doing their part to aid in the species’ recovery. However, assigning 60% of the risk to our fishery, which has only one confirmed right whale entanglement dating back to 2002 and zero confirmed serious injuries or mortalities, will not save the species. Maine’s solution must reflect the actual risk Maine lobstermen pose to right whales. We should not be forced to implement changes to achieve an arbitrary goal if those measures won’t realistically help the right whale population recover.

Read the full story at the Portland Press Herald

Massachusetts bill to open state for lobster processing

July 23, 2019 — Massachusetts — the second-largest US state when it comes to lobster landings — is now just a governor’s signature away from allowing the processing of unfrozen lobsters within the state and also the import of unfrozen shell-on lobster parts.

The Massachusetts House of Representatives and Senate on Monday adopted a $43.1 billion annual budget for fiscal year 2020 that — more importantly to the state’s lobster industry — includes language that removes prohibitions against the sale of anything other than whole lobsters, cooked or uncooked, in the state.

The decades-old law, which also allowed meat to be sold canned or at restaurants, was originally advocated for by ocean conservationists who wanted to stop trawling vessels from bringing up and selling broken lobsters, explained Beth Casoni, executive director of the Massachusetts Lobstermen’s Association (MLA). The law has long outlived its usefulness, as other rules prevent harvesters from landing broken lobsters, she said.

Massachusetts is the US’ second-largest source of lobster, accounting for about 11% of the catch, while Maine is responsible for 83%. In 2018, Massachusetts’ 720 lobster harvesters landed close to 18 million pounds, Casoni said, though final figures have yet to be tallied.

Read the full story at Undercurrent News

Whale woes: Maine lobster reps agree to 50 percent cut in vertical lines

May 1, 2019 — After months of speculation and hand-wringing, Northeast lobstermen got a clear message from NMFS at the federal Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Team meeting last week: Make drastic changes, or we’ll do it for you.

“On day three of the TRT meeting, NMFS Deputy Assistant Administrator Sam Rauch… did not mince words in stating that the TRT’s job is to identify measures to reduce right whale serious injury and mortality from lobster gear by 60-80 percent,” said Maine Lobstermen’s Association Executive Director Patrice McCarron in an April 29 letter to members. “He was clear that the TRT meeting gave the fishing industry its opportunity to shape how that reduction is achieved. If we failed that task, NMFS would begin rulemaking without our advice and decide for us.”

The 64-member team — established in 1996 under the Marine Mammal Protection Act — includes East Coast fishermen and associations representing fixed-gear fisheries, fishery managers, environmental organizations and scientists. Maine’s lobster industry holds four seats on the team, including McCarron’s.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

Bait crisis could take the steam out of lobster this summer

April 1, 2019 — The boom times for the U.S. lobster industry are imperiled this year because of a shortage of a little fish that has been luring the crustaceans into traps for hundreds of years.

Members of the lobster business fear a looming bait crisis could disrupt the industry during a time when lobsters are as plentiful, valuable and in demand as ever. America’s lobster catch has climbed this decade, especially in Maine, but the fishery is dependent on herring — a schooling fish other fishermen seek in the Atlantic Ocean.

Federal regulators are imposing a steep cut in the herring fishery this year, and some areas of the East Coast are already restricted to fishing, months before the lobster season gets rolling. East Coast herring fishermen brought more than 200 million pounds of the fish to docks as recently as 2014, but this year’s catch will be limited to less than a fifth of that total.

The cut is leaving lobstermen, who have baited traps with herring for generations in Maine, scrambling for new bait sources and concerned about their ability to get lobster to customers who have come to expect easy availability in recent years.

“If you don’t have bait, you’re not going to fish. If the price of bait goes up, you’re not going to fish,” said Patrice McCarron, executive director of the Maine Lobstermen’s Association. “We have to take the big picture, and make sure our communities continue to have viable fisheries.”

Read the full story from the Associated Press at Boston.com

MASSACHUSETTS: EXPANDED IN-STATE LOBSTER PROCESSING PROPOSAL BACKED BY SENATE

March 12, 2019 — The following was published by the office of Senator Bruce Tarr:

The State Senate has approved a measure authored by Gloucester Senator Bruce Tarr, and championed by a bi-partisan coalition of state Senators, that will reform state lobster laws would permit licensed wholesale dealers to process unfrozen lobster parts, import unfrozen shell-on lobster parts, and allow for the sale of processed lobster parts.

While the sale of live, cooked, canned lobster and tails is legal in the state, the law currently requires Massachusetts lobstermen and seafood vendors to sell or transport lobster out-of-state for processing for parts. This often means that Bay State lobsters are brought back for sale to consumers with a ‘Product of Canada’ label. Up to 80% of lobsters landed in the state are sent away for processing.

The legislation, adopted as part of S.2181, the Senate’s $144 million supplemental budget bill, mirrors similar language the Senate adopted last session, a move that government and industry experts say will remove constraints on consumer product options and give the multi-million dollar seafood industry capacity to grow.

“We have the second-largest lobster catch in the nation yet, without this bill, our raw and frozen lobster parts are processed in Canada or Maine only to then be brought back to local consumers,” said Senator Tarr. “This legislation modernizes those lobster laws to bolster the fishing industry and give consumers, including local restaurants and food stores more choices while sustainably supporting coastal fishing communities.”

In January, Tarr filed Senate Docket 1, an Act Regulating the Processing of Lobsters, the first bill of the session. That bill is now before the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture.

A Division of Marine Fisheries report has recommended adoption of the proposal citing an evolving interest from consumers in value-added lobster in the form of shell-on tails and claws.  The report says that the global market for Massachusetts landed lobster would be more readily accommodated with the new law.

“The Massachusetts Lobstermen’s Association greatly appreciates Senator Tarr’s ongoing efforts with his colleagues to allow for the complete processing and sale of lobster parts in the state,” said Beth Casoni, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Lobstermen’s Association. “We are looking forward to getting these operations running in the near future.”

Shifting handling from Maine and Canada will boost the viability and prosperity of the industry which will result in job creation.

“I’m proud that the Senate is working to ensure the sustainability and viability of the state’s lobster industry, which will give consumers more choices and benefit lobstermen in coastal communities statewide,” said Senate Committee on Ways and Means Chair Michael Rodrigues (D-Westport).  “The lobster industry is a vital part of the Commonwealth’s economy and identity, and I applaud Senator Tarr and my Senate colleagues for supporting it.”

“Easing archaic constraints on lobster processing operations will allow a thriving industry to further invest in our local economy through expanding operations and creating new jobs, especially in New Bedford. I am proud to be a partner on this bipartisan measure, and it is my hope the House will finally accept this provision in conference and get it on the Governor’s desk.” said Senator Montigny(D- New Bedford), the lead cosponsor of the legislation.

Up to 80% of lobsters landed in the state are sent to out of state processing facilities and industry leaders say the move will facilitate opportunities to create and grow jobs in the state. The Marine Fisheries report notes that the lobster demand has spiked and has continued to evolve in favor of processed lobster parts.

“I am glad to join my colleagues in the Senate in support of our Massachusetts lobster fishermen,” said Senator deMacedo (R-Plymouth). “These advancements in our approach to lobster processing will provide an important benefit to the lobster industry and the fishermen who play such an important role in our communities and economy.”

The Senate’s supplemental budget bill will now be reconciled with the House’s version, which was also recently adopted.  Once a final version is approved by both branches the bill will advance to Governor Charlie Baker’s desk.