Tag Archives: Troy Plummer
Dec 15 deadline nears for lobster boat tracking devices in federal waters
Maine lobstermen who fish in federal waters have only a few weeks left until the Dec. 15 deadline to install and activate recently distributed tracking devices on their boats to comply with a regulation of the Atlantic State Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC). The Particle One devices were sent by Maine’s Department of Marine Resources (DMR) with an accompanying letter of explanation. As required by the ASMFC regulation approved last year, each minute the boat is moving, the tracker will collect both the time and its position. The device will also monitor a boat when it is tied up every six hours until it moves again. Local lobstermen are concerned monitoring their locations infringes on their privacy, while ASMFC believes it will be useful information to have. Some lobstermen have returned the trackers to DMR. >>click to read<< 13:02
Boothbay Harbor lobster boat parade signals solidarity of Maine lobstermen
On a chilly but sunny March afternoon, on the deck of Brady’s Restaurant about a dozen Mainers, some holding beers, watched a parade of lobster boats travel through the opening of the Boothbay Harbor Footbridge and into the inner harbor, right up to Brady’s deck, horns blaring and people cheering. The lobster boats steamed toward Brady’s and in less than a span of 10 minutes, circled around and headed back through the Footbridge. The photos captured on that day show a scene that will never be reprised again. As of mid-March, Maine lobstermen are fighting back by suing the Monterey Bay Aquarium over the “red list” designation. Lots of photos, >click to read< 09:30
Maine lobstermen: The other endangered species?
When President Biden signs the $1.7 trillion omnibus bill into law, Maine’s lobster industry will take a six-year step back from the brink thanks to the efforts of Maine’s congressional delegation which secured a last-minute addition that put further restrictions to protect endangered right whales on hold. “The pause doesn’t mean this is over,” said Boothbay’s Troy Plummer, member of Maine Lobstermen’s Association (MLA) board of directors and lobster boat operator for nine years. “Everything is status quo until 2028, but we’ll have to do our homework,” said Boothbay Harbor’s Clive Farrin, lobsterman for more than 20 years and past president of Downeast Lobstermen’s Association. >click to read< 10:10
Fundraiser for Maine Lobstermen’s Association raises over $50K
With donations still rolling in, organizers of the fundraiser for the Maine Lobstermen’s Association held at Brady’s restaurant in Boothbay Harbor on Sunday, Aug. 7 report that over $50,000 has been raised. Proceeds from the event will go to the defense fund and will help with costs of MLA’s lawsuit against the National Marine Fisheries Service and National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for their plan to require a 98% cut in the risk to right whales by 2030. MLA, represented by Stoel Rives, is challenging the plan in court. In November 2021, MLA launched a three-year, $10 million fundraising campaign to be used to help protect Maine’s lobstering heritage. Lots of photos! >click to read< 06:59
Maine Lobstermen’s Association appreciates Brady’s fundraiser
Lobster is the iconic symbol of the state of Maine, but new federal regulations threaten the future of this fishery. To boost the Maine Lobstermen’s Association’s (MLA) effort to preserve this way of life, the Boothbay Harbor community is teaming up to host a fundraiser on Sunday, Aug. 7. The event, a community lobster dinner, raffle, and auction, will be held at Brady’s, 25 Union Street, from 3-6 p.m. and proceeds will be donated to the MLA’s “Save Maine Lobstermen” campaign. >click to read< 09:45
Lobster fishing being threatened
Commercial fishing, in particular, lobster fishing is an integral part of our local community and the economy of our state. This way of life is being threatened by new burdensome federal regulations. Over time, this will drive many fishermen out of business and forever change the character of the Maine lobster industry and our community. These regulations are championed as a way to help protect the North Atlantic right whale but will fail to do so. We have to fight back against this regulatory onslaught. >click to read< by Troy Plummer and Mark Jones, and please click and donate to www.savemainelobstermen.org, if you can!
Working waterfront to be preserved in Boothbay Harbor
On Aug. 12, Deanne Tibbetts, a resident of Boothbay Harbor, invited a small group of area residents to meet and discuss concerns about the potential loss of working waterfront and, along with that, an important part of their local identity and their maritime heritage. Tibbetts is a descendant of many generations of fishermen from Southport. The purpose of this meeting was not to debate progress, change, economic development, or any specific plans for the east side of Boothbay Harbor but rather to insure that working waterfront and those people that depend on it and care about it have a seat at the table. >click to read<09:04
Lobstermen alarmed at prospect of sharing their secrets with regulators
For generations, Maine lobstermen have fiercely guarded their fishing secrets, telling almost no one how and where they fish or how much they haul up in their traps. But under a new proposal, these independent operators would have to share all the nitty-gritty details with regulators, like where they fish, how long they let their traps soak, the kind of gear they use and how deep they set it, and how much lobster they land. click here to read the story 08:35
