For assistance, call the DMR Licensing Division at 207-624-6550, Option 2. But a proposal before a state legislative committee would bring new people into the fishery who have been waiting for 10 or more years. In most of the state, the system is set up so that one license is issued for every 4,000 lobster traps that are put into retirement. Hed like to buy his stepfathers boat and traps so his stepfather can retire, but first he has to get his own license something he says is nearly impossible under existing rules. Charles Gray of Scarborough disputes the notion that the system works. More than 200 people are waiting in the wings for a lobstering license, which has long been a ticket to the middle class for working coastal Mainers. By his calculations he'll be nearly 80 years old or dead by the time his wait is over. It is that time of year again to renew licenses that expire at the end of the calendar year (December 31, 2020) or to apply for a 2021 license. More than 200 people are waiting in the wings for a lobstering license, which has long been a ticket to the middle class for working Mainers. Make sure all of your landings reports are up to date, and that you do not owe reports. Beede, 50, says the states 15-year-old licensing system needs an overhaul to give newcomers like him a fair shot at getting a license to fish their own traps in Maines lobsterrich waters. More than 200 people are waiting in the wings for a lobstering license, which has long been a ticket to the middle class for working coastal Mainers. Notwithstanding subsection 7-A, each licensing year, the commissioner shall authorize new zone entrants for each limited-entry zone that have been on the waiting list pursuant to subsection 6 for 10 or more years and have met the eligibility requirements under section 6421, subsection 5. Classmates in Rockland who had known enough to get student lobster licenses fished straight out of high school, butKvorjakcouldnt, so he enrolled at Maine Maritime Academy. Hearst Television participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. If you are interested, please contact Business Editor Patrick Gabrion at 504-8243 or email [emailprotected] Thank you. Maine fishermen are by far the biggest producers of lobster in the U.S., and the state in the midst of a multi-year boom in lobster catch. Another member of the marine resources committee, Democratic Rep. Genevieve McDonald, said concern over possible changes in lobster fishing rules make it difficult to let new fishermen onto the water. Getting into Maines lobster industry takes time. Six of the states seven lobster zones have waiting lists, with more than 50 people on the list in each of four of the zones. New zone entrants on the waiting list for 10 or more years. And my father should be able to retire.. At the urging of fishermen, this exemption was created to give the local children in coastal communities, especially Maines many small islands, an easy pathway into the fishery, which in some far-flung harbors is the only work to be found. The list was initially set up to try to give everyone fair access, but its not worked out like that. If you do not get ANY tags in 2020, you will only be eligible for 100 tags in 2021. STERNMAN SCOTT BEEDE returns an undersized lobster while checking traps. Were just waiting to see what happens, he said. The committee will have a workshop for the bill before holding a vote. But she acknowledged that there is opposition to the idea, and shes expecting a lively hearing. He is currently No. It is your responsibility to make sure the tags are ordered correctly. But for the most part, lobstermen dont feel a pressing need to change the system, he said. The state is expected to release data about 2018 later this winter. That would instantly add more than 50 new fishermen to the industry during an era of high catches and strong prices, but also concern about warming oceans and new fishing restrictions designed to protect whales. If you need an alternate format, please contact Melissa Macaluso. Ten years later, after almost a quarter century in the business, the 38-year-old Masterson is still waiting. Most zones allow lobstermen to fish up to 800 traps at a time, while some allow only 600 traps at a time. This list is established with a one-for-one swap, meaning a fisherman in any given zone would need to transfer his or her license before someone on the transfer waiting list can swap zones. 8. This law allows year-round island communities to petition the Commissioner for the establishment of an island limited entry program in order to maintain a number of lobster licenses appropriate for the needs of their island community and the local lobster resource. Theres not a lot of options for work in the smaller coastal towns.. More than 200 people are waiting in the wings for a lobstering license, which has long been a ticket to the middle class for working coastal Mainers. She still works for Horner, even though he and her mom are no longer together. Im 49 years old and should be able to haul my own traps. Beede, 50, says the state's 15-year-old licensing system needs an overhaul to give newcomers like him a fair shot at getting a license to fish their own traps in Maine's lobster-rich waters. That would allow them to participate aboard the boat, which some in the fishery say has long been standard practice anyway. In July 2008, after completing the program, Masterson was added to a list of area fishermen waiting for a state lobster license. But it could have far-reaching effects.. The proposal is up for a hearing on Tuesday before the Committee on Marine Resources. Horner taught her how to lobster, fish for shrimp and scallops, and drag for haddock, monkfish and cod. By his calculations he'll be nearly 80 years old or dead by the time his wait is over. PDF files below requires Adobe Acrobat or the free Adobe Reader (download here) to view or print. Rep. William Tuell, R-East Machias, said he is torn over what to do about the waitlist. Maine uses a waiting list system to allow new people into its lucrative lobster fishery, and critics of the system have complained that it takes too long to yield licenses. Make sure your tags are ordered correctly. Students in Maine can circumvent long wait-lists for commercial lobster licenses by getting started as young as 8 years old. Beede has worked as a sternman for eight years on his 70- year-old stepfathers lobster boat in the town of Mount Desert. Lobster License and trap tag annual counts by zone, 1997-2007, (PDF file, 251 KB) It will also address some contentious subject areas, such as whether lobster licenses or the tags fishermen get for their traps can be transferred through sales to other people. Im so discouraged now it just hurts, Gray said. Yes, there are trap limits. Learn more. The idea was if somebodys been on the list that long, it would be nice to offer them an alternative, McCreight said. The people not in the business dont understand. All Rights Reserved. More than 200 people are waiting in the wings for a lobstering license, which has long been a ticket to the middle class for working coastal Mainers. To get one, go to the subscriptions page. The states$434 million fisheryis divided into seven geographic zones governed by zone councils made up of state-licensed lobstermen. I am concerned about people in this industry being able to make money. If, however, you need us to print you a license, please contact the DMR Licensing Division at 207-624-6550, Option 2, and we would be happy to do so. Lobsterman Steve Taylor of Kittery, the chairman of Maines southernmost lobster zone council, said his area could probably absorb the 18 apprentices who would be eligible for a license in 2019 under McCreights plan if they were evenly distributed throughout the zone, which runs from Kittery up to Cape Elizabeth. He declined to take a personal stance on the issue until after the meeting. The bills presenter, Democratic Rep. Joyce McCreight of Harpswell, said the proposal is designed to help fishermen who have been the victim of a waiting list system that doesnt often budge. Little did I know.. Even though its a complicated system, its a pretty good system, he said. Fishermen opposed the recommendations. Learn more. For more information on the Island Limited Entry Program and participating islands please see. The bills presenter, Democratic Rep. Joyce McCreight of Harpswell, said the proposal is designed to help fishermen who have been the victim of a waiting list system that doesnt often budge. Based on state records, 55 of the 248 people currently sitting on one of the seven regional waitlists would fall into that category. Sunbeam Television Corp If you are interested in getting on the wait list for a participating island, Approved and Prohibited Freshwater Species, Lobster Fishing License and Trap Tag Counts, Maine Lobster Research, Education, and Development Board, Maine Lobster Limited Entry and Apprentice Program, Eligibility Criteria for Maine Students Who Want to Start Lobstering, Lobster and Other Trap/Pot Gear Modification Requirements, River Herring (Alewives and Blueback Herring), Maine DMR Online Licensing System Frequently Asked Questions, Maine Diver and Dive Tender License Safety Training Requirements, On-Line Harvester Catch & Landings Reporting, Maine Harvester Landing Reporting Form Examples, Saltwater Recreational Fishing Registry (license), Tuna, Shark, and Other Large Species Information, Tips for Catch and Release of Striped Bass, Maine Saltwater Recreational Fishing Opportunities to Participate, Maine Saltwater Sport Fishing Tournaments for 2022, Marine Recreational Information Program (MRIP) Summary, Shellfish Closures and Aquaculture Leases Map, Maine Shellfish Dealer Certification and Inspection, Municipal Shellfish Conservation Warden Information, Phytoplankton Monitoring Form and Guides for Volunteers, Water Quality Monitoring Forms and Protocols, Maine Shellfish Dealer Sanitation and HACCP Guidelines Manual and Forms, Salmon Restoration and Conservation Program (ASRCP), "Experimental" (Limited Purpose) Lease Applications and Forms, Limited-Purpose Aquaculture (LPA) License Applications and Forms, Public Participation in Aquaculture Leasing, Atlantic Halibut Research Tags and Rewards, Maine - New Hampshire Inshore Trawl Survey, Data Dashboard, Reports, and Publications, Maine Coastal Program's Mapping Initiative, MCMI - Current Projects and Program Highlights, Habitat Restoration and Tools (Maine Stream Habitat Viewer), Job, Internship, and Volunteer Opportunities, http://www.maine.gov/portal/help/adobe_support.html, Eligibility criteria for Maine students who want to start lobstering (effective April 5, 2016), Lobster limited entry brochure, August 2017- pdf file, 2 pages, Apprentice program brochure, August 2017- pdf file, 2 pages, Apprentice log sheet - MS Excel file, 39 kb, Log sheet submission deadline info (within 30 days of 250th hour) - pdf file, 32 kb, the Department of Marine Resources Regulations, Business and Economic Development Resources, Zone Waiting Lists - last updated July 21, 2022. With approval from the Maine Department of Marine Resources, councils set limits on the number of traps, establish fishing times and days, and, since 1999, set entry rates to control the size of the state lobster fleet, which numbers about 4,500 people. Another, proposed by McDonald, would exempt children age 12 and under from being counted as crew members on a captains license. The bill also raises the age for young lobstermen to automatically get a license when they finish an apprenticeship. The proposal is among a suite of changes proposed to the lobster licensing system in Maine. If you need help with PDF files, visit http://www.maine.gov/portal/help/adobe_support.html. For license holders in limited entry fisheries (lobster, urchins, scallops, sea cucumbers, elvers), if you intend to retain your license in 2021, you must renew your 2020 license by December 31, 2020. If you are obtaining your license online through LEEDS, you MUST print off your license, as we do not print online licenses. Not a lot of people can sit around for that long waiting to lobster. //]]> Maine news, sports, politics, election results, and obituaries. By his calculations he'll be nearly 80 years old or dead by the time his wait is over. He declined to take a personal stance on the issue until after the meeting. Its hard to let any student in immediately, then have people waiting on a list for 15 years,Kvorjaksaid. The proposal is among a suite of changes proposed to the lobster licensing system in Maine. News Tips: (800) 280-TIPS PORTLAND, Maine (AP) There are few things in Maine as coveted as a lobster fishing license, and a proposal to bring dozens of people off the states license waiting list has fishermen in the state ready for a debate. You cant legislate to let everyone do what they want to do, he said. But she acknowledged that there is opposition to the idea, and shes expecting a lively hearing. Being home 24/7 is worth a lot, he said. Approved and Prohibited Freshwater Species, Lobster Fishing License and Trap Tag Counts, Maine Lobster Research, Education, and Development Board, Maine Lobster Limited Entry and Apprentice Program, Eligibility Criteria for Maine Students Who Want to Start Lobstering, Lobster and Other Trap/Pot Gear Modification Requirements, River Herring (Alewives and Blueback Herring), Maine DMR Online Licensing System Frequently Asked Questions, Maine Diver and Dive Tender License Safety Training Requirements, On-Line Harvester Catch & Landings Reporting, Maine Harvester Landing Reporting Form Examples, Saltwater Recreational Fishing Registry (license), Tuna, Shark, and Other Large Species Information, Tips for Catch and Release of Striped Bass, Maine Saltwater Recreational Fishing Opportunities to Participate, Maine Saltwater Sport Fishing Tournaments for 2022, Marine Recreational Information Program (MRIP) Summary, Shellfish Closures and Aquaculture Leases Map, Maine Shellfish Dealer Certification and Inspection, Municipal Shellfish Conservation Warden Information, Phytoplankton Monitoring Form and Guides for Volunteers, Water Quality Monitoring Forms and Protocols, Maine Shellfish Dealer Sanitation and HACCP Guidelines Manual and Forms, Salmon Restoration and Conservation Program (ASRCP), "Experimental" (Limited Purpose) Lease Applications and Forms, Limited-Purpose Aquaculture (LPA) License Applications and Forms, Public Participation in Aquaculture Leasing, Atlantic Halibut Research Tags and Rewards, Maine - New Hampshire Inshore Trawl Survey, Data Dashboard, Reports, and Publications, Maine Coastal Program's Mapping Initiative, MCMI - Current Projects and Program Highlights, Habitat Restoration and Tools (Maine Stream Habitat Viewer), Job, Internship, and Volunteer Opportunities, https://maine-dmr-leeds-prod.pegacloud.com/, Business and Economic Development Resources. If, however, you need us to print you a license, please contact us and we would be happy to do so. Were all supposed to have a chance at it, but plain and simple, not everybody can be a lobsterman. She still dreams of getting that license, and the freedom that comes with being her own boss. (Gregory Rec / Portland Press Herald). But a proposal before a state legislative committee would bring new people into the fishery who have been waiting for 10 or more years. Anyone can access the link you share with no account required. Im very fortunate to have had another option, but some people dont. If you are renewing your lobster license with the same vessel as last year, and there has been a change on that vessel, your tags will be ordered exactly as they were the year before. Even removing eggs is illegal and attracts $1,000 for each violation and another $300 for any involved lobster. That would allow them to participate aboard the boat, which some in the fishery say has long been standard practice anyway. Under the permit section on your license it should say EEZ (federal) or NON. The proposal is up for a hearing on Tuesday before the Committee on Marine Resources. Ones name will be removed from the list if they do not respond by Sept. 2. (Copyright (c) 2022 The Associated Press. window.__mirage2 = {petok:"c1zG27wHNai5dMWqstawCfdcKbFoTNjrhMZ6GfCWxc8-1800-0"}; AUGUSTA Fishermen on the waiting list for a commercial lobster license are advised to watch their mailboxes in the next few weeks. There are few things in Maine as coveted as a lobster fishing license, and a proposal to bring dozens of people off the state's license waiting list has fishermen in the state ready for a fight. More than 200 people are waiting in the wings for a lobstering license, which has long been a ticket to the middle class for working coastal Mainers. I understand the frustration of the people waiting, Taylor said. The public may view the reports by going to WHDH.com and clicking on "FCC Public File", or by visiting the FCC's website at FCC.org. In order to obtain a Maine lobster license, prospective business owners must first work as an apprentice on a lobster boat for at least two years. Not everybody can be a taxi driver in New York City, either. The poll ended up 53-47 percent in favor of McCreights bill, with 949 total votes cast before Tuell closed the poll. Paul LePage signed the bill into law this spring. Most fishing zones were closed to newcomers almost 20 years agoin an effort toprevent overfishing and the turf wars that can happen when a fishery grows too large, too fast. There were nearly 6,000 licensed Maine lobstermen last year, but only 4,300 did any fishing. South Thomaston lobsterman David Cousens, longtime president of the Maine Lobstermens Association, said fishermen acknowledge the inequity of somebody waiting for years for a lobster license. That means it takes at least five fishermen and oftentimes more to give up their licenses before a single new license is issued. She recalls stories of 19-year waits, veterans who lost their lobstering licenses while serving overseas in the military and must now wait years to get anotherone, andwait-listers who became fathers whose sons will get their lobster licenses before their dads. If something happens to his father, Gray will be left unable to fish without his own license. He declined to take a personal stance on the issue until after the meeting. The Maine Department of Marine Department is asking anyone on a lobster license waiting list to contact them. Shouldnt I be the one to teach him how to fish? Morrissette asked. At first that list was based on an entry/exit ratio of licenses exiting the zone, however, the ratio was changed recently from the number of licenses exiting to the number of trap tags exiting that zone. Scott Beede is one of 302 people on the waiting list for a Maine lobster license. Under the present system, Beede may have to wait decades to obtain a lobstering license. Jay McCreight, D-Harpswell, has proposed a bill that would give licenses to anyone who has been on the list for a decade or more. Lobstering is a limited-entry fishery, and there is a long waiting list to get a license. There were 3 million trap tags, but only 2.6 million traps were in use, according to the Department of. Lobstering Zones in Maine. Effective September 12, 2009, a law was enacted to protect the long-term viability of island lobster fishing communities. Until we know the outcome of these discussions it is very difficult to pass legislation that would increase lobster fishing effort, McDonald said. Im 49 years old and should be able to haul my own traps. Keliher hopes it allows more people to get off of the waiting list, and into the water. Scott Beede is one of 302 people on the waiting list for a Maine lobster license. Beede, 50, says . We do not ship to other addresses or out of state addresses, so please make arrangements to have your tags picked up at your address on record in LEEDS. PORTLAND, Maine Scott Beede is one of 302 people on the waiting list for a Maine lobster license. Great Jones Cookware Review: Is It Worth Buying? Visit /dmr/fisheries/commercial/licenses and download and print license applications. But thats just a side gig. Stewart is one of Maine's 5,900 licensed lobster harvesters, who together haul in roughly 80% of U.S. landings of American lobster, worth more than $300 million. A licensing system put in place 15 years ago to protect the lobster population and lobster fishing community has resulted in long waits to get licenses. Gray grew up lobstering with his father and had a license as a young man before deciding to try his hand at truck driving. It also changes the way old licenses are retired. Current license holders generally feel that there are already enough lobstermen and traps and that adding to those numbers will put too much pressure on the lobster population. Sign up and get our top stories delivered daily to your inbox at 6 a.m. I was so excited about the future, Masterson recalled. authenticate users, apply security measures, and prevent spam and abuse, and, display personalised ads and content based on interest profiles, measure the effectiveness of personalised ads and content, and, develop and improve our products and services. Eight have been waiting on a license for 13 years. It urged the state to allow zone councils to relax entry-to-exit ratios and to change the way they calculate the number of traps retired when a lobsterman gives up his license. The study is being billed as a cost-benefit analysis. Fishermen have caught more than 100 million pounds of the crustaceans for the last seven years after never previously reaching that mark in the states history. The 2017 total of slightly less than 111 million pounds was the lowest since 2011, but it was still more than twice the 2003 haul. I knew Id have to wait, but I thought it would be a couple years. Holly Masterson got her start in the lobster industry when she was 15, when her stepfather, David Horner, hired her to stock and clean up his boat at night. I was too young to realize what I wanted to do, Morrissette said. Here in the Maine Department of Marine Resources' (DMR) Lobster Management Zone B, though, a strict limited entry system has resulted in a very long waiting list for new commercial lobster licenses. Thats never a real nice feeling.. AUGUSTA Lawmakers on the committee that handles marine resources issues voted Wednesday to make modest changes in the rules that control lobster fishing licenses in Maine, side-stepping a more controversial proposal for access to Maine's most lucrative fishery. A decadelong wait is not unusual for the zones with the oldest lists. These licenses are not easy to come by. But for everyone else, the wait can be years or even decades. The response has been some very much in favor and some very much opposed.. Maine Lobster Fishing License and Trap Tag Counts The MS-Excel file below requires MS Excel or the free MS Excel Viewer (download here) to view or print. 28. Others say they shouldnt be penalized simply for developing an interest in lobster fishing later in life. WHDH broadcast educational and informational programming for children, and file quarterly reports with the FCC detailing the station's outreach to children. The Marine Resources Committee member said he has friends and family that are hurt by the long waits, but others who did their time on the waitlist and worry that essentially opening the gates now would trigger trap wars, make an already tight bait market worse and could make it even more likely that federal regulators tasked with protecting right whales would put harsh restrictions on the industry. To limit the number of lobsters being caught, the first thing the state does is regulate the number of fishermen in the state. Six of Maine's seven lobster zones have a waiting list for new entrants. Please use our online licensing system, LEEDS at https://maine-dmr-leeds-prod.pegacloud.com/, for the fastest processing of your license and/or tag application.

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