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Commercial Fisheries News
Volume 35 Number 3
November 2008
Lobster industry will resolve this crisis
There were warning signs of trouble ahead but few expected the bottom would fall out of the lobster market as suddenly as it did in mid-October. The nosedive to near $2 per pound in some Maine ports was horrifying, leaving a lot of lobstermen to seriously wonder how they would make ends meet.
As Commercial Fisheries News was going to press on Oct. 24, there were indications that the price had hit bottom and was beginning to creep back up, but people were still in crisis mode, trying to figure out what to do to keep fishing families, lobster-related businesses, and fishing communities afloat until the market recovered.
Things fell apart for many reasons. Some, such as the near collapse of global financial markets and the resulting credit freeze and cutbacks in consumer spending, were way beyond the control of people in the fishing industry.
But where individuals, advocacy groups, community leaders, and state officials could help, they were pulling out the stops to do it. The Maine Department of Marine Resources immediately pulled together a special meeting on Oct. 15 so lobstermen could hear experts objectively explain what was happening and tell state officials what they were most worried about.
One of the most pressing needs identified was for swift intervention to offer debt restructuring, commercial loan insurance, and other assistance. In a matter of days, meetings within each of the lobster zones had been scheduled to talk over financial matters with state agencies and other institutions, which hopefully will offer reassurance to cash-strapped lobstermen and businesses.
On Oct. 12, the Penobscot East Resource Center (PERC) got the Stonington community together to host an event that brought several hundred people to the town’s fish pier to buy nearly 5,000 pounds of lobster.
Members of the Maine Lobstermen’s Association’s (MLA) board of directors and Executive Director Patrice McCarron heard loud and clear how distressed lobstermen were.
By Oct. 16, they had put together a document detailing action options for MLA members to review in preparation for a meeting with Gov. John Baldacci, who had pledged his support for the industry.
The document reflected the forward-thinking vision of industry people across the state. Short-term action options to get the market moving included: exploring the possibility of government purchase of lobster for schools, prisons, and military personnel; encouraging grocery store and restaurant promotions; supporting “buy local” campaigns such as the one organized by PERC; expanding Maine Lobster Promotion Council public service announcements; reaching out to organizations like the Maine Tourism Association, the American Farm Bureau, and the Maine Restaurant Association; and giving lobsters away to good causes to draw media attention.
These were only a few of the dozens of creative, practical ideas people came up with when challenged to do so, and the MLA was moving forward on many of them. The association also identified a number of longer-term action options.
These are stressful, scary, and very difficult times. But judging by the response of lobstermen, their representatives, government officials, and communities, the lobster industry in the state of Maine and throughout the Northeast is strong, and it will recover from this crisis. Everyone just needs to hang on, stay engaged, and have faith in themselves and the people who make up and support this remarkable industry. /cfn/
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