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Commercial Fisheries News
Volume 34 Number 6
February 2007
Maine DMR issues RFP for seed lobster fund research proposals
WEST BOOTHBAY HARBOR, ME – On Dec. 19, the Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR) announced its 2007 request for proposals (RFP) to conduct lobster research funded from the seed lobster program.
The lobster seed fund is financed by lobstermen’s license fees and provides the money for projects selected under the RFP. Those projects are meant to address the restoration, development, or conservation of lobster resources.
“The RFP for lobster research is solicited by DMR and reviewed and selected based on current research priorities,” said DMR’s Deirdre Gilbert.
In late October, the Lobster Advisory Council (LAC) agreed the research priority areas for this RFP would be: lobster growth and aging; and the effectiveness of lobster hatcheries.
The LAC, along with the DMR commissioner, authorizes expenditures of money from the seed lobster fund and any available funds appropriated by the legislature. Money is then made available to each of the state’s seven lobster zones either for purchases or research.
Purchases can include buying seed lobsters from Maine lobster pound owners and female lobsters from wholesale seafood license holders. Female and seed lobsters are v-notched and then released in Maine coastal waters for propagation. Purchased seed lobsters also can be provided to lobster hatcheries.
Based on a lobster council vote in October and a final accounting on the amount of money available, DMR said in mid-January that a total of $77,000 split equally among the seven lobster zones would be distributed in 2007.
The breakdown in funding decided by the individual zones is as follows:
Zone A – $11,000 for research;
Zone B – $5,500 for research, $5,500 for purchase;
Zone C – $5,500 for research, $5,500 for purchase;
Zone D – $11,000 for research;
Zone E – $11,000 for purchase;
Zone F – $11,000 for research; and
Zone G – $5,500 for research, $5,500 for purchase.
That makes $49,500 available for research and $27,500 for the purchase of female and seed lobsters.
A copy of the RFP with specifications can be downloaded from <www.maine.gov/dmr/rfp>. For a hard copy, contact DMR lobster biologist Carl Wilson. The deadline for applications is 2 pm on Feb. 9.
For more information on the RFP, contact Wilson by phone at (207) 633-9538 or e-mail at <carl.wilson@maine.gov>. For more info on the seed lobster fund, contact Gilbert by phone at (207) 624-6576 or e-mail at <deirdre.gilbert@maine.gov>.
Rosanne Mizzoni
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