WHITING, Maine — Nearly 200 Down East fishermen packed the Whiting Community Center on Tuesday evening to share their frustrations and to trade their ideas about what’s to be done about Maine’s fragile scallop fishery.
Fielding comments at the 90-minute emergency meeting was Pat Keliher, acting commissioner of the Maine Department of Marine Resources. He told those attending that his marching orders from Gov. Paul LePage were to get a feel for the scallop harvest in Cobscook Bay from the men and women who have been dragging for scallops since the season opened on Dec. 17.
Keliher said he’s scheduled to meet with the governor and his staff this week to brief them on the situation and to discuss what, if anything, can be done to improve it.
By all accounts shared at the session, the situation is bleak. The problem, fishermen said, is not a lack of scallops, but a lack of scallops large enough to be legally harvested.
“Quantity is not a problem; it’s the size,” said Owen Moody of Roque Bluffs, who fishes out of Eastport with his son Shaun. “There are tons that are 3 inches or 3½ inches, which is just under the legal size. It’ll take a couple of years for them to come back.”
Harvesting scallops has been banned in part of Cobscook Bay since September 2009, when low scallop numbers prompted DMR to close 12 noncontiguous areas along the coast to scallop fishing. The closures were expected to expire with the start of the 2012-2013 winter fishing season, the dates of which have not yet been set. The areas now off limits represent 10 percent of the scallop fishery statewide, Keliher said.
Keliher told the fisherman that his office has been fielding three kinds of messages from Down East fisherman, most coming from those who work Cobscook Bay.
“A lot of people are calling and say: ‘Close it. Too much seed is being dragged over, and it’s just ruining it,’” Keliher said. “Others call and say: ‘Close it, but open the closed areas.’ … Then we get calls from people who say: ‘Leave us the hell alone and let us fish. We’ll figure it out.’”
Keliher said he only has the authority to close areas determined to be in danger of being heavily damaged or depleted. He cannot, he said, order the immediate opening of an area already closed. That would require either a 90-day rule-making period or would require emergency legislation that would have to be initiated by the governor and approved by a two-thirds vote of the Maine Legislature.
Among those attending Tuesday’s emergency meeting in Whiting were three state representatives from Washington County: David Burns, R-Whiting; Howard McFadden, R-Dennysville; and Dianne Tilton, R-Harrington. Also attending was former state senator Dennis Damon, who for many years was chairman of the Legislature’s Marine Resources Committee.
The paucity of market-size scallops this season has driven up prices for those large enough to be sold. On Monday the price being paid was $10.75 a pound, but few fisherman are coming back to port with anything near the 135 pounds a day they are allowed.
“I did 75 pounds today, and I’ve had days of over 100 pounds,” Owen Moody said. “But, tomorrow, who knows?”
BDN writer Bill Trotter contributed to this report.
The major problem is the ring size. Go back to 3 inch rings. I fished these waters from the early 70’s through the early 90’s. With 3 inch rings, small scallops had larger meats because they had room to grow out. Now the bottom is covered with so many small scallops, they have no room to grow. Some will say the ring size was increased because too many small scallops were shelled. That was an enforcement issue. Put the rings back to 3 inches, ENFORCE the meat count and landing limit, and the problem will cure itself in 3 years. I dare you to prove me wrong, DMR….
We’re not making the meat count with 4 inch rings! How will smaller rings, which catch smaller scallops, make bigger meats? Twenty years ago there were even more scallops in the Bay. There aren’t enough now. There is a nice batch for next year but they have to grow first. You couldn’t find rings smaller than 4 inches now, anyways. That’s the requirement in the Federal fishery so they stopped manufacturing them years ago. How about those 600 (plus) days back then, novajoe? We didn’t know what we had!
Close the harvest until the scallop population recovers… Striped Bass have recovered in the lower states only because of strict regulation – it works… Scallop harvests can be developed, when the numbers increase…. Scallops should have enforced regulation so they can recover, just like the lobster industry which supports THOUSANDS of lobster men and women, because it is well managed with a proven minimum size that allow lobster to multiply. Lobster size is also well enforced…. But if you allow scallops to be taken when the stock is already down more than 90%, scallops may not recover…..
Per the 2010 Maine DMR sea scallop survey Cobscook Bay had the highest amount of harvestable biomass yet observed for this stratum. This poses several questions, 1.) Was the DMR survey incorrect? 2.) Was Cobscook Bay over fished during the 2010 season? 3.) Why aren’t the areas surveyed every year prior to the season opening so decisions by the DMR can be made well in advance of an emergency closing?
Having been at the docks as a buyer when the boats come in, I can say absolutely, that the meat size and quantity is definitely down from previous years. Having attended last nights meeting in Whiting, ME, I can also say that there are more questions than answers lingering about this issue. I’m sure I’m not the only one who wonders why Pat Keliher can close an area in one day but opening a new area takes 90 days of bureaucratic bologna?
Having a meeting for the fishermen to trade ideas and air frustrations is lovely in theory but what exactly did it solve? What the fishermen want is to be able to fish, to pay their bills and put food on the table.
Although this issue is about the Washington county area, it is a State of Maine problem if its legislators are deciding what is to be done and ultimately have control over the closing and opening of a given area. One wonders if Gov. Paul LePage and his legislature are interested in handing out welfare checks to the 200 plus fishermen and their families? The next time the DMR and the State of Maine’s government decide to call a meeting, they should consider bringing proactive, financially reasonable solutions to the table, not just a forum for airing grievances.
Those closed areas are part of a broader management plan for increasing the harvest in the future and restoring the health of our depleted fishery! It’s short sighted, selfish and ignorant to jettison the long term goals of improving the fishery for all of us and our children. Welcome to the discussion. Where the heck have you been the last decade?!? Point the finger at DMR, SAC, the governor and everywhere but over harvesting. Baby gulls make less noise and have better manners than what the stupidity on display last night.
There is a proactive plan. It came as a result 15 years of a collapsed fishery and the last crisis in Cobscook a few years ago. There are about 10 areas that were closed to give the resource a chance to recover and begin rebuilding the stocks for the future. Some of those areas are looking great which points to an overfished condition in the open areas. Stop pointing at DMR. Just because last night was your first meeting doesn’t mean you know what you are talking about. Welcome to the discussion. Where the heck have you been the last 5 years when proactive fishermen were hammering out a plan to save and improve the scallop fishery???
I ask three questions, “Was the DMR survey incorrect, was Cobscook Bay over fished during the 2010 season and why aren’t the areas surveyed every year prior to the season opening?” I never disputed the issue of over fishing, I simply asked the questions listed above. This might be my first post on this site but it was not my first meeting, nor will it be my last. It is my goal is to rebuild and restore the health of the fishing industry, something I have worked tirelessly at for over 30 years. However, over fishing is not the only problem here, previous years have seen the majority of the Washington County boats bringing in their limit and only their limit. Can the same be said for boats coming from the south? The DMR is spread too thin to be able to police everyone or to survey every area before the season opens, that is not finger pointing sir, it is fact.
Considering the economic ramifications facing the Cobscook Bay fishermen it is not surprising tempers flared and Miss Manners wasn’t consulted on proper etiquette procedures.
I stand by my statement that the State of Maine’s government and the DMR should bring proactive and financially reasonable solutions to the table. Clearly this must be a group effort and decisions must included both the fishermen and the government but don’t expect people facing a loss of income to go quietly into the night.
Is licensed diving for scallops still allowed? I saw it done 30 years ago…they only got the big ones.