Tag Archives: maine
F/V Tara Lynn II: Multiple groups work together to remove fishing vessel from Cape Elizabeth shore
This week, Portland-based salvage company Determination Marine, along with crews from Scott Dugas Trucking-Excavating, worked Friday to remove as much gear off the Tara Lynn II as possible. Parker Poole, the owner of Determination Marine, said Friday morning that the boat was leaning at a 60-degree angle and it needed to be tilted to as level as possible to remove the mast and other parts still on board. While the cold winter weather this week makes for tough working conditions, Poole said it has benefits for land preservation. Crews left the scene on Reef Road Friday evening, and Poole said he and some workers will return Saturday to continue cleaning up debris before the heavy machinery returns Monday morning. Video, more, >>click to read<< 09″08
Maine fishing trawler that grounded during weekend storm will be demolished
A fishing trawler that wrecked on rocks off the coast off Cape Elizabeth during Saturday’s historic storm, and required a harrowing early-morning rescue, is a total loss and will be removed over the next few days, a salvage business owner said Wednesday. The F/V Tara Lynn II crashed into the rocks early Saturday off Trundy Point, a few miles south of Portland Head Light. The vessel came to rest too close to shore for traditional boats to get close enough to retrieve the crew, as winds gusted to 50 mph and 6-foot waves pummeled the shore. On Wednesday, the vessel remained in place about 300 feet offshore in Cape Elizabeth. The demolition and removal will take several days, said Parker Poole, who runs the towing and salvage company Determination Marine. more, >>click to read<< 08:53
Crew member fell asleep while piloting fishing boat wrecked in Cape Elizabeth in Saturday’s storm
The owner of a fishing trawler that ran aground off Cape Elizabeth early Saturday morning says one of the crew members fell asleep after turning on the ship’s autopilot. “[The crew member piloting the ship] fell asleep at the wheel and then just went straight into the beach,” said David Osier, owner of the Tara Lynn II and Osier’s Seafood in South Bristol. “Operator error is the cause of this accident.” The Tara Lynn II is one of four ships in Osier’s commercial fishing fleet. On Saturday, the ship was en route to Portland Harbor after a day of trawling for groundfish. He said what happened next was recounted to him by the ship’s captain. more, >>click to read<< 07:16
Maine fishermen look to rebuild higher after harbors took ‘a real beating’
Working waterfront property owners along the entire Maine coast witnessed destruction as extreme winds and storm surge flooded buildings, set some adrift and tore docks apart. Some already are planning to rebuild — with sturdier and maybe higher piers in mind as they consider the future — but it’s too early to tell how long it will take and how much it might cost. Commercial lobster docks where fishermen offload and sell their catch were damaged in Milbridge, Corea, Southwest Harbor, Stonington and New Harbor, to name a few places. photos, more, >>click to read<< 07:07
Workers begin salvaging a fishing boat that wrecked in Saturday’s storm
The F/V Tara Lynn II will never float again. On Saturday, the ferocious storm battering the state’s coast drove the 50-foot fishing vessel onto the rocks at Trundy Point just after midnight. Grinding against an unmerciful ledge, the Terra Lynn II’s fiberglass belly shattered, scattering its engine, 500 gallons of diesel fuel and 5,000 pounds of fish all over the coast. Now, the cleanup is underway. Parker Poole and his company, Determination Marine, are in charge. Poole also heard the ship’s mayday call when it went out Saturday morning. Photos, more, >>click to read<< 07:50
Fishing vessel aground off coast of Cape Elizabeth
A fishing vessel ran aground early Saturday morning, just as a powerful storm system was arriving in Maine. A mayday call was issued shortly after midnight, the U.S. Coast Guard confirmed with NEWS CENTER Maine, and the Cape Elizabeth Fire-Rescue was able to get to the scene by about 1:20 a.m. There was no information as of 11 a.m. whether any injuries were reported, and it was not clear yet why the crew was out in the storm at midnight. All four people onboard the Tera Lynn II, a 50-foot boat, were rescued by a skiff via a Water Extrication Team with the Cape Elizabeth Fire Department. more, >>click to read<< 12:52
Historic lighthouse featured on Maine state quarter suffers extensive damage in storm
The Pemaquid Point Light’s bell tower in Bristol, Maine, built in 1897, was battered to a point that its interior was exposed. Shelley Gallagher, Bristol’s Parks and Recreation Department director, said the powerful wind and high waves tore down the bell tower’s whole front wall and part of the side, with pictures showing a debris pile of bricks surrounding the building. “The waves came up and hit it hard,” said Gallagher, who added that a wind reading from the top of the lighthouse reported 79 mph winds during the storm. “It was just such a high tide and so much surf. There was so much power behind it.” photos, more, >>click to read<< 11:17
Heavy damage along Maine coastline as ocean inundates with powerful surf
The coastline suffered major damage with high tide occurring around 9:30 a.m., Jan. 10, 2024. The ocean was washing over all infrastructure, ripping and tearing property and sending surf to the highest ever seen in recent history. Police closed off public ways to keep harbor access roads for safety. High tide occurred around 9:30 a.m., but even as the waters began to recede, the winds, out of the southeast, and rain continued. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2.4 inches of rain fell Jan. 10. Video, photos, >>click to read<< 12:22
Cory Alley, island leader, dies suddenly
Cory Alley, Islesford lobsterman and chair of the Cranberry Isles Select Board, died after collapsing in his outboard while heading to his lobster boat last Friday, Jan. 5. Islesford’s first responders tried to resuscitate him as another boat captain took him to the Coast Guard Station in Southwest Harbor, but efforts were unsuccessful. He was 50. Alley leaves behind his wife, Cari, the town’s health officer and a member of the School Committee, as well as four children: a son at Ashley Bryan School on Islesford, a son at Mount Desert Elementary, a daughter at MDI High School and an adult daughter. 2 photos, more, >>click to read<< 08:12
Catch of the Night
The American eel’s lifestyle is as elusive as it gets. No one has seen one mate in the Sargasso Sea, the eel’s birthplace. However, we know that after hatching, eels begin their journey to land by following the Antilles Current and Gulf Stream toward the mouths of North American rivers. Elvers (juvenile specimens also known as glass eels) then venture inland, mature, and later return to the ocean to mate, with the entire process ranging from a few months to a few years in duration. The unfortunate truth is that eel populations worldwide are rapidly declining. They have faced overfishing since the 1970s, resulting in poaching regulations in most of the world. Today, just two US states award eel fishing licenses: South Carolina and Maine. Because South Carolina only allows traps for fully grown eels, Maine has become the heart of the elver issue. more, >>click to read<< By Phil Avilov10:31
‘When the Island Had Fish’ is a portrait of Vinalhaven through its most prominent industry
Vinalhaven Island sits like a plug between the Gulf of Maine’s offshore gyre and the estuaries, marshes and shallows of upper Penobscot Bay. After the melting of the continental ice sheet 13,000 years ago, these waters became some of the richest fishing grounds on earth. “When the Island Had Fish” tells the story of fish and fishing around Vinalhaven, focusing on the industry’s impact on the people of this singular place. It’s presented as history, garnished with some science and statistics, but at heart, this is an ethnography of a Maine fishing community. Janna Malamud Smith is the participant-observer, and her friends and acquaintances on Vinalhaven, where she summered for 30 years, are her informants. more, >>click to read<< 14:10
Lobstermen Sue State Agency for Mandating Installation of 24-Hour Electronic Location Monitoring System on Their Boats
A group of five Maine lobstermen are suing Maine Department of Marine Fisheries (MDMR) Commissioner Patrick Keliher over new rules mandating that all federally permitted lobster boats be equipped with a 24-hour electronic location monitoring system. These mandated devices — provided by the MDMR — identify a vessel’s location every sixty seconds while in motion and once every six hours when stationary. Using one of these devices, a boat’s position is able to be accurately determined within 100 meters, or 328.1 feet. According to the lobstermen, this new requirement violates the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments, as they allege that it jeopardizes their Constitutionally protected rights to privacy and due process. more, >>click to read<< 11:20
Maine lobstermen sue to stop new electronic tracking
Maine lobstermen are suing to stop a new suing to stop they argue violates their constitutional rights. In a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Maine, the five lobstermen, who are being supported by the Sustainable Maine Fishing Foundation, the nonprofit arm of the Maine Lobstering Union, argue the rules present an “immediate and serious risk” to their constitutional right to privacy. The lobstermen are being represented by the Portland law firm of McCloskey, Mina, Cunniff & Frawley LLC. The new rules, which the Maine Department of Marine Resources began implementing on Dec. 15, 2023, require lobstermen with federal permits to install electronic trackers that monitor the movement of their boats 24/7. more, >>click to read<< 13:42
Maine lobstermen say electronic trackers required by federal regulators violate privacy
Some Maine lobstermen say that new electronic monitoring requirements are violating their constitutional right to privacy. As of Dec. 15, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission requires that lobstermen with federal permits install a monitor tracking their boat’s location each minute that it’s moving. But the Sustainable Maine Fishing Foundation — a nonprofit arm of the Maine Lobstering Union — is now asking the state to delay the requirements until the next fishing season. The foundation outlined its concerns in a letter sent to the Maine Department of Marine Resources earlier this month. more>>click to read<< 09:03
Fishermen Feeding Mainers reaches one-million-meal milestone
Fresh Maine-caught fish for local families has filled food pantry coolers since October 2020, through Fishermen Feeding Mainers. Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association (MCFA) started the program late in 2020 during the COVID pandemic to support both hungry families and ground fleet fishermen whose earnings were hit when restaurants and other seafood buyers shut down. Since then, the Brunswick-based nonprofit’s arms have reached across Maine, serving more than one million meals to families through 250 food pantries and more than 30 school districts — and giving boots-on-the-ground backing to the notion that “Mainers always unite in difficult times,” in the words of Mary Hudson, director of fisheries programs at MCFA. more, >>click to read<< 12:46
Fishermen look to give back with warm chowder for Christmas
To give back to those without the luxury of a warm holiday season, a handful of fishermen headed to Portland to serve up some fresh-caught haddock chowder for the holiday weekend. Hosted by the New England Fishermen Stewardship Association, teamwork from about a dozen volunteers made it possible to create a mini-food drive for people living underneath the Casco Bay Bridge. “The association was created to bring all fishermen together all across New England and all different fisheries, and so we just kinda came up with the idea,” COO Dustin Delano said. Video, more, >>click to read<< 06:45
Scallop season is underway
In pitch-black morning, the scallop draggers start heading out Penobscot Bay to be ready one-half hour before the sun rises in Augusta to drop their drags overboard and begin a day’s work. Daylight here already broke the horizon as the scallop fishery opens for the day in the Gulf of Maine. “When the season opens, it’s like the first day of school,” said David Tarr, a scalloper off Naskeag Point and a member of the state’s scallop advisory council. Now two weeks into the season, and Tarr says, “I think it’s been a good opening. Boats are keeping local. Whether dragging or diving, the daily limit is 15 gallons of meat that sells anywhere from $12 to $23 per pound, depending on its size. 8 photos, more, >>click to read<< 07:55
Army Veteran/Retired Lobsterman Terry O. Brewer of Boothbay Harbor, Maine, has passed away
Terry O. Brewer, 88, passed away peacefully with his family by his side after a long courageous battle with dementia. He passed away the evening of Dec. 17, 2023 in his home in Boothbay Harbor that he purchased in 1958 and resided in until his passing. He was born in Boothbay Harbor on Jan. 29, 1935, the son of Norman Brewer Sr. and Mary Doyle Brewer Pinkham. Terry grew-up spending summers on Fisherman’s Island, where his mother and stepfather resided seasonally. He began his love for working on the water while being a stern man for his stepfather. Terry attended Boothbay schools and graduated in 1954. Following graduation he enlisted in the Army, serving overseas in South Korea. After serving in the military, he returned to Boothbay Harbor where he began his career as a lobsterman. Later, he worked at Bath Iron Works as a pipe fitter for a decade, while continuing lobstering. He retired from lobstering at the age of 77. more. >>click to read<< 12:10
Trial date set for fishermen charged with fraud, violation of herring laws
The trial for the fishermen and seafood dealers who were indicted in 2022 with conspiracy, mail fraud, and obstruction of justice in connection with a multi-year scheme to sell unreported Atlantic herring and falsify fishing records will begin Jan. 3 and is expected to last eight days. The defendants who were indicted in January 2022 in U.S. District Court were Glenn Robbins, 76, of Eliot; Ethan Chase, 46, of Portsmouth, N.H.; Neil Herrick, 48, of Rockland; Stephen Little, 58, of Warren; Jason Parent, 51, of Owls Head; Dustin Reed, 41, of Waldoboro; Glenn Lawrence, 70, of Owls Head; Samuel Olson, 73, of Cushing; the Western Sea, Inc. of Rockland; New Moon Fisheries, of Waldoboro; and Sam’s Seafood of Cushing, according to the court document. more. >>click to read<< 07:47
Following Legal Victory for Maine Lobstermen’s Association, State Receives $17 Million from NOAA to Improve Data on Right Whale
This federal funding comes just months after the federal court of appeals ruled in favor of the Maine Lobstermen’s Association (MLA) in their lawsuit against the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) — a subagency of NOAA — for adopting improperly-founded regulations against the industry. In September of 2021, the MLA filed a lawsuit against the agency alleging that their efforts to protect the NARW were unlawful, as the regulations promulgated were founded upon a “simplistic and false premise” that “exaggerates and arbitrarily inflates the risk posed by the Maine lobster fishery.” The MLA stated that the NOAA’s analyses was “unlawful” as they “did not rely on the best available scientific information, made erroneous and arbitrary assumptions unsupported and contradicted by data and evidence, relied on an outdated and flawed methodology to model projections of the North Atlantic right whale population, and inexplicably failed to account for either the positive impact of mitigation measures already or soon-to-be employed by the Maine lobster fishery.” more, >>click to read<< 07:09
Two men accused of killing Portland fisherman 15 years ago
Portland police announced Tuesday that Shane Hall, 36, and Khang Tran, 30, were indicted on murder charges in the death of Frank A. Williams III, a 37-year-old fisherman. “We hope this helps (Williams’) family find closure knowing that someone will be held accountable for his death,” Portland interim Assistant Chief Robert Martin said at a news conference Tuesday. He offered few details on what led to the indictments. Williams was stabbed near Kennedy Park just before 2 a.m. on Aug. 16, 2008, by three men police said he knew. He left behind a 1-year-old daughter and 14-year-old son. Williams died at Maine Medical Center from multiple stab wounds. more, >>click to read<< 10:26
Jack Merrill, poet, painter… and lobsterman
If one were to attend a recent Mount Desert Island school sporting event, then attend an art exhibit reception at the Northeast Harbor Library and buy some lobster for dinner right off the fisherman’s boat, they might be convinced that the coach at that game, the painter and the lobsterman were all a part of a set of triplets. And when an identical guy showed up at a poetry read to recite his own works, you might up the ante and think you’d had a close encounter with a rare brace of quadruplets. But no, Jack Merrill, lobsterman, coach, artist and poet is just one man; albeit a man with a multitude of talents and interests that, at age 70-something, still keep him busy on a daily basis. Perhaps there is something about watching a lavender-rose sunrise and a blazing gold and scarlet sunset spread over a mackerel sky and a wine dark sea almost every workday that inspires some of our local fisherman to paint and poeticize, because, as Merrill rightly insists, he is not unique. He points out that several Cranberry Isles fishermen are also accomplished artists, including Rick and Corey Alley and Dan Fernald and, of course, island author and fisherman Trevor Corson, who included Merrill in his book, “The Secret Life of Lobsters.” more, >>click to read<< 07:08
Greenlaw joins NEFSA board of directors
Maine fisherman Linda Greenlaw has joined the New England Fishermen’s Stewardship Association’s board, “the only fishing organization I have been involved with,” she said Dec. 8 on Facebook while fishing off Isle au Haut. I … was so impressed with [CEO and founder Jerry Leeman’s] knowledge and logic and articulation of the issues and fisheries in general, with his experience as a fisherman who knows the industry being the leader and voice,” she added. more, >>click to read<< `12:53
Maine lobsterman shows off rare bi-colored, hermaphroditic lobster
It’s not uncommon for a lobster fisherman to bring up a lobster with more than one color, but more than one sex – that’s particularly rare. Jacob Knowles, a fifth-generation Maine lobsterman, posted videos to YouTube and Instagram last week showing off just that – a lobster that appears to be half-male, half-female. He said a fellow lobster fisherman caught it and gave it to him. “It’s the coolest lobster I’ve ever seen,” he said. In the videos, Knowles noted fans have nicknamed the lobster “Bowie,” after the late singer/songwriter David Bowie. It’s also half-blue, which itself is a rarity. Turning it over, the genitalia running along the tail are clearly half-male, half-female. more,video, >>click to read<< 06:29
Maine lobstermen signal opposition to participating in ropeless testing program
Maine lobstermen are signaling their hesitation to participate in a multimillion-dollar program the state is launching to test new ropeless technology that the federal government soon may require to protect the endangered North Atlantic right whale. Lobstermen have been largely unhappy with the regulations, fearing that the regulations will destroy the lobstering industry as they know it. Maine’s congressional delegation succeeded in securing legislative approval for a reprieve that stalls the regulations from going into effect until Jan. 1, 2029. Industry groups also have succeeded in taking NOAA to court, where the regulations are still tied up. Even so, the clock is ticking and the Department of Marine Resources wants to be prepared for what it expects is an inevitable regulation. more, >>click to read<< 06:31
Lobsterman Douglas Alan Alexander of Phippsburg, Maine, has passed away
Douglas Alan Alexander, 71 passed peacefully in his Phippsburg home early morning Friday November 24th, 2023.Born on January 11th, 1952 at Bath Memorial Hospital in Bath, Maine. He grew up on the south end of Bath with his mother and brother and attended Morse High school where he graduated in 1970. He began lobstering with his grandfather at 8 years old and continued commercial fishing as his primary occupation until 2020. He fished out of Hunt’s Wharf in Sebasco estates Maine and always regarded the Hunt’s as extended family. In 1987 he married his loving wife, Anita Richardson on April 18th at Corliss Street Baptist Church in Bath, Maine. Doug and Anita shared 36 years of love, friendship and unwavering support for one another. Doug held many positions within the town and Phippsburg most notably as the towns Harbormaster (2002-2022) and Shellfish Warden (2005-2022). more, >>click to read<< 10:32
NFWF grants support Maine lobster industry participation in alternative fishing gear testing
“Alternative gear, also known as “on demand” gear is a long way from being viable for fishermen or for whales,” said DMR Commissioner Patrick Keliher. “It is my goal to make sure we know what gear works, and more importantly what doesn’t work, so when future draft federal regulations come forward, we can draw on the real-world experience of fishermen when determining what the next steps should be.” One award of $1,999,992 will support the evaluation of acoustic geolocation systems that locate gear on the bottom without the benefit of surface buoys which are part of traditional gear configurations. Regional partners will include the Island Institute, Maine Center for Coastal Fisheries, Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association, the Sunrise County Economic Council, and the Gulf of Maine Lobster Foundation. more, >>click to read<< 06:09
Maine lobstermen catch ancient 7-foot anchor while hauling traps
A pair of midcoast lobstermen were almost done hauling traps Tuesday when they pulled some ancient history out of the depths: A large anchor covered in a thick layer of rust and sea coral had snagged on one of their traps. “It was kind of exciting,” recalled Logan Aiken, who serves as sternman on Sweet Victory, the lobster boat owned and captained by his brother Peter. This was not the first time the brothers who fish out of Cushing. had caught an old anchor: They pulled up another one a few years ago, but it fell back into the sea before they could wrangle it in. This time around, they avoided that mistake by quickly slipping a line around the iron beast and yanking it into the boat. >>click to read<< 19:18
MCFA’s Fishermen Feeding Mainers Program has served more than one million meals to families in Maine
In just three years since its inception, Fishermen Feeding Mainers has served more than one million meals to families in communities throughout Maine. The program was launched by the Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association (MCFA), a local nonprofit focused on rebuilding the fisheries of the Gulf of Maine and sustaining Maine’s fishing communities for future generations. Since October 2020, the program has supplied fresh local seafood direct from Maine fishermen to more than 250 food banks and over 30 school districts, providing countless Mainers with a healthy, high-quality and free source of protein. More than $2.2 million has been infused back into the Maine economy through the program to date. The program was launched during the COVID-19 pandemic to help sustain fishermen and families in Maine. When the food system and restaurants closed, many of Maine’s fishermen, who had already seen declining value in their fleets, were not able to sell the fish they caught, leaving them unable to support their families. >>click to read<< 18:24
Fishermen submit hundreds of comments on leasing Gulf of Maine for offshore wind
During the 33-day comment period, BOEM held six online meetings Nov. 1-3 to discuss the draft areas and three proposed secondary areas not included in the draft, and to answer questions and hear feedback from specific stakeholder groups, such as commercial and recreational fishermen, environmental nonprofits and the shipping and transportation sector. So, what did everyone have to say? When it comes to commercial fisheries, gaps in the data that inform where WEAs will least conflict with fishing remain a top concern, as do the cables running the power to shore. Also of concern are certain quadrants included in the draft WEAs, which some at the meetings said are spawning areas for haddock and redfish. more, >>click to read<< 08:27
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