Tag Archives: Legislature

Maine lobster council to keep funding marketing effort despite critics

Despite grumbling from lobster dealers, the state Lobster Advisory Council voted unanimously Thursday to continue funding the Maine Lobster Marketing Collaborative. The collaborative is about to begin the final year of its five-year mission to promote the state’s signature product. It wants the Legislature to renew its authorization, and its $2.2 million a year budget funded by surcharges on state-issued lobster licenses. But it needs the support of the people that its work is serving – the individual lobster zone councils and the Lobster Advisory Council that oversees it all. click here to read the story 13:29

Maine Lobstermen tired of conflicts, support bill to allow secretly installed tracking devices

Lobstermen fed up with cohorts who violate fishing regulations testified in favor of a bill to allow Marine Patrol officers to secretly install tracking devices on fishing vessels suspected of illegal activity without first obtaining a warrant. While a smaller faction opposed the bill, both sides agreed that Maine faces a growing “epidemic” posed by a small number of law-breakers fueling dangerous conflict and threatening the stewardship ethos within the state’s most valuable fishery. They also agreed that the Maine Department of Marine Resources needed more enforcement tools, but lobstermen differed on whether DMR’s commissioner should be allowed to authorize the installation of GPS tracking devices without getting a judge’s approval. click here to read the story 08:36

South Carolina eyes protecting the tiger shark

The huge tiger shark caught by a commercial fishing boat last weekend was at least 50 years old. It was brood stock for an important apex predator. It doesn’t even taste that good. And it might not be legal to harvest next summer. A bill now in the state Legislature would restrict fishing for tigers to catch-and-release to protect the large predator and help keep an ecosystem healthy by culling the weak and diseased of other species. Read the rest here 09:52

Alaska Fish & Game bracing for possible shutdown unless the legislature can agree on a budget

“We’re trying to see, how can we manage as a bare bones staff, keeping that fishery open and making that opportunity available to Alaska’s commercial fishing industry,” said ADF&G Deputy Commissioner Kevin Brooks. Brooks says the commercial use group relies more on unrestricted general funds than other sectors do.  Those monies could be scarce during a shut down. Customer service staff, lab services, and data support will also be curtailed during a shutdown, according to a AD&FG release. Read the rest here 07:39

Alaska Fish Factor: Seventh Time Lucky for Personal Fisheries Priority? Fishy bills to watch, ComFish is coming!

The priority shift has been introduced during each of the last seven legislative sessions by (now) Senator Bill Stoltze (R-Chugiak), but has never made it past a first hearing – until now. Lawmakers said PU fisheries “need more protections from commercial fishermen.” The United Fishermen of Alaska’s position on the PU issue has remained the same for seven years: the legislature should leave prioritization of fishery allocations to the Board of Fish and management to the Department of Fish and Game.Read the rest here 07:29

Kings curbed: Individuals can’t keep them, but commercial boats fish on

As total closures or catch and release regulations have been imposed throughout Alaska on personal use and sport fishers, the commercial fishers have continued harvesting hundreds of thousands of kings.  If there was ever a time for Alaskans to revolt over how our king salmon are being mismanaged, it is now. continued@newsminer