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Commercial Fisheries News
Volume 34 Number 2
October 2006
ME advisers debate lobster entry measures
AUGUSTA, ME – The Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR) Lobster Advisory Council (LAC) met on Aug. 30 to finish its review of draft adjustments to limited entry provisions for the state’s lobster fishery.
The DMR has until Oct. 2 to submit draft legislation for any changes that need to go through the state Legislature. Other changes can be made through the agency’s rule-making authority.
The Aug. 30 discussion was organized around a list of proposed adjustments that DMR put together based on input from the LAC during meetings held since September 2004 and DMR staff meetings with lobster zone councils.
The list of proposed changes “is meant to reflect the items where we felt the LAC and most of the zones appear to have reached the greatest level of agreement,” wrote DMR Deputy Commissioner David Etnier in a memo sent to LAC members prior to the Aug. 30 meeting.
DMR and the LAC discussed in detail the proposals that had been generated over the previous two years.
Student entry
The first group of draft measures were directed at student entry into the commercial fishery and would:
• Require a safety component for completion of the apprentice program;
• Require all students/apprentices to pass a basic lobstering test as all noncommercial license holders must do;
• Require that student license holders be at least 17 years old to obtain a commercial license;
• Require student license holders to fish as sternmen for a Class I, II, or III license holder for a minimum of one-half of their total apprentice time, with a “grandfathering” exception for those already logging apprentice time; and
• Require student license holders to complete high school or receive a GED before obtaining a commercial license.
Three of these – the safety component, lobster test, and sternman requirements – are already allowed under Maine state law and could be adopted through the DMR rule-making process. In fact, DMR announced in early September that it was accepting public comment on a safety and education course requirement.
The other two – the lower age requirement and the high school/GED requirement – would have to be approved by the Legislature.
Vigorous debate
The draft changes to student entry into the commercial fishery drew the most fire as the LAC, zone council members, and audience participants vigorously debated several of the proposed adjustments.
Many fishermen felt the requirement for student license holders to complete high school or earn a GED prior to obtaining a commercial license was important and should be adopted.
Under present entry provisions a student fisherman potentially can obtain his commercial license by the age of 10, and many fishermen felt this gave young fishermen the incentive to drop out of school.
However, responding to divided feedback from the zones, DMR staff recommended dropping this requirement. DMR posed the question to LAC members and the audience, asking if they thought it was the state’s responsibility or a parental responsibility to make sure that a young person gets an education before becoming a commercial lobsterman.
Ted Hoskins, LAC general public member from Blue Hill, supported the requirement, but added that he understood the concerns about it coming from the government.
“I wish the message of getting an education, a diploma, a GED would come from fishermen and the industry and not the state of Maine,” he said.
Stanley “Cappy” Sargent of Milbridge suggested that the education requirement would encourage young people to make a commitment to the fishery.
Added a lobsterman from the audience, “Everyone has to have an education to get a license – electricians, plumbers.”
A number of audience members also pointed out that the state regulates who gets a driver’s license.
Students the future
Fisherman John Drouin of Cutler said that he agreed with the importance of getting an education, but he did not want to see the other proposed changes to the student license.
Drouin said that Zone A fishermen Downeast felt young fishermen were the future of the fishery and needed support, not obstacles, to become commercially licensed fishermen.
“Leave the students alone,” he stated several times.
Other fishermen disagreed, explaining that they were concerned about the build up of traps in more populated zones where the entrance of students is large and the exit of fishermen minimal.
Despite a 5:1 exit ratio, Zone D still has more fishermen coming in than going out, said LAC member Bob Baines of South Thomaston.
Waiting list for students?
Also on the list of draft measures, DMR proposed the creation of a separate waiting list for students as a zone option, which would require a two-thirds vote in any zone to go into effect.
“Under this option,” DMR wrote, “a zone with a 5:1 ratio would change to a 5:2 ratio. For every five exiting, two would enter – one from the regular waiting list and one from the new student waiting list.” This measure would require a change in the law.
Although this proposal would allow equal numbers of students and apprentices in each year, debate ensued on who should be given entry priority – the student or the apprentice.
Minimum tags
The final draft measure is meant to address the issue of unused licenses being retired and replaced by licenses fishing the full zone limit of tags.
“Under this option a nonrenewed license would need to have held a minimum of 300 tags in their last year in order to have that exiting license count in the zone’s exit-entry ratio,” DMR wrote.
This measure would require a change in the law and it was not clear if it would be put forward as a zone option or as a statewide initiative.
Also discussed was replacing licenses not renewed with tags retired in a zone, meaning that the number of tags retired, rather than the number of licenses not renewed, would be used to determine the number of new licenses issued each year.
For more information on the draft adjustments, e-mail Sarah Cotnoir at <sarah.cotnoir@maine.gov> or call her at (207) 624-6596.
Rosanne Mizzoni
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