Daily Archives: February 25, 2025
Lobsterman/Harbormaster David Albert Herrick Sr. of Lamoine, Maine has passed away
David Albert Herrick Sr., 67, died unexpectedly, Feb. 20, 2025, outside of his “forever home” in Lamoine. He was born May 10, 1957, in Blue Hill, the son of Albert & Hildred Herrick. David graduated from Ellsworth High School in 1975 and continued his education at Washington County Vocational School studying wood harvesting. Shortly after, he married the love of his life, Julie, settling in Lamoine next to the home he grew up. After many years as a wood harvester, he switched careers to lobstering. He was a volunteer for the Fire Department, and the harbor master for the town of Lamoine. more, >>CLICK TO READ<<20:35
N.L. snow crab stocks remain healthy, but there is a threat to growth: DFO
Newfoundland and Labrador snow crab stocks appear to remain healthy, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) said Tuesday during its annual stock assessment report. The latest assessment suggests the 2024 biomass of commercial-sized snow crab, which measure at a 95-millimeter shell width, remains near the same level as the year prior. Snow crab landings were recorded at over 56,000 tonnes in 2024. However, the assessment indicates poor stock growth over the next two to four years because of environmental conditions like warming oceans. Snow crab thrive in cold water with a narrow range of temperatures, and a warming climate can stunt production, growth and survival. It typically takes a male snow crab nine to 13 years to reach the legal commercial size. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 16:56
The Scallop Queen is Coming to the City
Togue Brown may be the daughter of a Maine lobsterman, but she wants you to fall in love with scallops. She likes lobster, sure, but once she became a fisheries management expert at the Maine Department of Marine Resources things changed. She was given a choice — focus on lobster or scallops. Whether dad liked it or not, she decided on scallops. “Lobster is so dominant in seafood,” she said. “I chose scallops to help fisherman diversify, to become less dependent on lobster because at some point that bough is gonna break.” Togue went about implementing a series of measures designed to restore Maine’s heavily depleted inshore scallop fishery. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 14:18
Top Alaska House legislators reject plan to allow fish farms
Two leading members of the Alaska House of Representatives on Monday announced their opposition to a proposal from Gov. Mike Dunleavy to lift the state’s 35-year-old ban on fish farms. In a written statement, Speaker of the House Bryce Edgmon, I-Dillingham, and House Rules Committee Chair Louise Stutes, R-Kodiak, said the bill will not aid the state’s commercial fishing industry. Stutes also chairs the House Fisheries Committee, and Edgmon is the committee’s vice chair; without their support, House Bill 111 is unlikely to advance. Dunleavy has proposed keeping a ban on salmon farming but is seeking permission for farming other types of fish. Alaska has banned all types of fish farming for decades under the belief that allowing farming poses social and environmental risks to the state’s wild fish. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:11
RESULTS OF LATEST SNOW CRAB ASSESSMENT
Today, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) released the latest stock assessment update for Newfoundland and Labrador’s snow crab fishery, reporting differences in stock health among regions. Attending on behalf of FFAW- Unifor were Fisheries Scientist, Dr. Erin Carruthers, with harvesters Nelson Bussey and Chad Waterman (3LNO), Scott Spurvey (3Ps), Eldred Woodford (3K), as well as Alton Rumbolt who participated online (2J).Nelson Bussey highlighted the good news for 3LNO noting that, “Biomass levels are at the highest levels seen in decades, likely, in part, because we have maintained reasonable exploitation levels. There appears to be scope for growth, which is welcome news for the fleets in our areas.” more, >>CLICK To READ<< 10:01
Maine’s embattled outgoing lobster official to headline regional fisheries forum
The appearance of Maine’s top lobstering official at New England’s largest fishing convention has gone unnoticed for 49 years – until this year. When the Maine Fishermen’s Forum celebrates its jubilee 50th year as the northeast’s biggest fishing gathering in Rockport, all eyes will be on Patrick Keliher. As the state’s outgoing commissioner of marine resources, Keliher “will provide an update on potential regulation changes in the industry,” the forum announced. But as he does so Keliher will be making his final marquee public appearance at the convention just 13 days before he leaves office under a political cloud. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:20
Inside Canada’s lobster wars
Nighttime provides ideal cover for acts of sabotage in the sleepy fishing villages along the southern shores of Nova Scotia. Slashed buoys, stolen lobster crates, mysterious fires. These are just some of the acts of vandalism on the wharves where lobster fishers have been locked in battle for more than three decades. Lobstermen have a simple way of framing the dispute: think of the ocean’s bounty like a pie. They are asking who should get a piece, and what is the fairest way to divide it between the white Canadians who built the commercial lobster industry and the indigenous people who were historically left out. The Canadian government, which regulates fisheries, has been reluctant to settle the politically fraught issue, alienating warring fishers on both sides. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:29
