Tag Archives: Senator Angus King
The Future of Fishing – Island Institute launches new initiative to support Maine’s lobster industry
Island Institute is proud to announce a $1.4 million award from the Small Business Administration to support Maine’s lobster industry and enhance the economic resilience of the coastal communities dependent on this vital fishery. This Congressionally Directed Spending request championed by U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King will launch the Future of Fishing, a collaborative effort designed to expand economic opportunities for Maine’s coastal communities, building on Island Institute’s longstanding partnerships to advance a diversified, climate-forward marine economy in Maine. Maine’s fishing communities face historic challenges such as rapidly warming waters, more frequent and severe storms, costly regulatory changes, and rising business costs. These communities, and the men and women that work on the water, are the backbone of Maine’s seafood sector; a sector responsible for more than $3 billion in total economic output and more than 33,000 jobs statewide. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:28
Maine Fishermen’s Forum Awards $52,000.00 in Scholarships to Children from Maine Fishing Families
The Maine Fishermen’s Forum is pleased to announce that $52,000 in scholarships was awarded to children from Maine fishing industry families at the 49th annual Forum event held from February 29-March 2, 2024. Two scholarships were funded by an anonymous donation in the amount of $16,000, and a record breaking $36,000 was raised from a silent and live auction, along with other cash contributions. Senator Angus King drew the names of two lucky winners, Leighia Gray of Deer Isle, and Lake Lindelof of Islesboro who each received $8000.00. All other applicants received a $1500.00 award. Forum President Hank Soule said, “We’re truly grateful for the generosity of all those who contributed to our annual scholarship fund, and we’re delighted to make these awards to children from Maine fishing families”. For more information about the Maine Fishermen’s Forum and its Scholarship Fund, please visit https://mainefishermensforum.org/education/scholarships/ 08:07
Politicians Come Out Against Gulf of Maine Offshore Wind Proposal
U.S. Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King, Reps. Jared Golden and Chellie Pingree, and Maine Gov. Janet Mills have sent a letter to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), urging them to completely exclude Lobster Management Area 1 (LMA 1) from the Wind Energy Area (WEA) for potential wind power development in the Gulf of Maine. The lawmakers and governor assert that “clean energy can offer economic and environmental benefits for Maine that must be pursued prudently and responsibly with a commitment to minimizing to the greatest extent possible the impact on fishermen, recreation and other crucial ocean uses that are critical to Maine.” >>click o read<< 07:14
Local Spotlight: Craig Pendleton
Ever since he was a nine-year-old boy standing on a dock in Camp Ellis, Craig Pendleton has been constantly scanning the horizon, looking for the next opportunity that lies ahead. Pendleton began his career in commercial fishing when he was just nine years old, working on his uncle’s lobster boat during the summer. By the time he was 12, he was earning more money during the summer than his mother earned from her year-round job as a clerk at Percy’s Pharmacy. From his start as a kid working on a lobster boat, Pendleton eventually became a respected source of information and the proverbial go-to-guy for people like Senator Olympia Snowe, Governor John Baldacci and Senator Angus King when it came time to talk about maritime and commercial fishing issues. >click to read< 08:45
Lobster industry says regulations to save right whales will push them out of business
Lobsters support about 15,000 jobs and contribute more than a billion dollars to the Maine economy. And yet the industry sees itself in an existential battle, pitted against a rare species fighting its own existential battle. North Atlantic right whales, critically endangered, fewer than 350 individuals remain. And they are dying at a devastating rate. Janet Coit, Assistant Administrator of Fisheries, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: If we don’t stabilize and begin the recovery, they will be gone within a couple of decades. They will be extinct. They will be wiped off this Earth. And we want to do everything we can to prevent that from happening. >video< 10:30
The fight to protect right whale, lobsters roils Maine politics
In a state where few things matter more than lobster, it’s no surprise that Mainers are getting a hefty portion of crustacean politics as part of the campaigning for the 2022 midterm elections. What is surprising, however, is the high level of anger and frustration pointed squarely at Washington regulators, with many arguing that NOAA’s new rules are unfair and will hit the prized lobster industry far too hard. Rule backers say they’ll help protect a dwindling population of whales that’s at grave risk from fishing gear. “The men and women who make up Maine’s iconic lobster fishery are facing a terrible crisis, a crisis not of their making, a crisis that is due to this administration’s onerous regulations,” photos, >click to read< 12:11
Maine lawmakers call for more hearings on whale rules
Members of Maine’s congressional delegation are asking the federal government to hold more hearings on whale protection rules to gauge the impact on the state’s commercial fishing industry. In a letter to the National Marine Fisheries Service, Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine and Angus King, I-Maine, said the federal agency’s decision to hold only one public hearing last week on the new regulations “unacceptable” and called for more engagement with the lobster industry. The lawmakers wrote that the 90% risk reduction target fisheries regulators are pursuing over the next two years to protect critically endangered North Atlantic right whales would be a “death knell” for lobstermen. >click to read< 19:06
Red Listing Monterey Bay Aquarium Act – Maine politicians call for defunding of Monterey Bay Aquarium
Lawmakers from Maine have introduced a bill that would defund the Monterey Bay Aquarium and Seafood Watch following the organizations red listing of the American lobster. Congressman Jared Golden and Senator Angus King announced on Wednesday that they were introducing the Red Listing Monterey Bay Aquarium Act in the House and Senate. The bill would prohibit federal taxpayer funds from going to the aquarium, Seafood Watch and the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute. According to a release from Golden’s office, the aquarium has received nearly $200 million in taxpayer money since 2001. >click to read< 15:45
