{"id":9097,"date":"2016-03-01T13:19:58","date_gmt":"2016-03-01T18:19:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/fish-news.com\/cfn\/?p=9097"},"modified":"2016-03-01T13:50:53","modified_gmt":"2016-03-01T18:50:53","slug":"editorial-tread-cautiously-before-making-lobster-license-changes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fish-news.com\/cfn\/editorial-tread-cautiously-before-making-lobster-license-changes\/","title":{"rendered":"EDITORIAL: Tread cautiously before making lobster license changes"},"content":{"rendered":"

It would appear, as this issue goes to press, that a controversial bill to change some elements of the Maine lobster licensing process may be stuck in committee.<\/p>\n

If so, we think that is probably not a bad thing.<\/p>\n

The bill, widely discussed and well-covered by media within the state, would \u2013 among other things \u2013 attempt to reduce waiting times for those trying to gain entry into the state\u2019s most productive fishery.<\/p>\n

Currently, some 300 fishermen are signed up, waiting for a spot to open in what is \u2013 for the most part \u2013 a limited entry fishery.\u00a0 Wait times, depending on the zone, can be several years \u2013 even a decade or more.<\/p>\n

Sponsored by Rep. Walter Kumiega, D-Deer Isle, House chairman of the Marine Resources Committee, the bill includes provisions to change the rules governing the state\u2019s apprenticeship program for entering the lobster fishery.<\/p>\n

Currently, entry rules statewide require all potential fishermen to complete an apprenticeship.\u00a0 They are then placed on a waiting list, except for students up to age 18, who automatically receive a license after completion of the apprenticeship.<\/p>\n

Kumiega\u2019s bill would increase the age from 18 to 23 before someone is put on a waiting list.<\/p>\n

The problem here is not the intent of the bill.<\/p>\n

The issue, as we see it, is with unintended consequences \u2013 a concern reportedly shared by the Maine Lobstermen\u2019s Association (MLA), the Downeast Lobstermen\u2019s Association (DELA), and the Maine Lobstering Union.<\/p>\n

Any change that potentially puts more fishermen and more traps into the fishery at an accelerated pace needs to be considered carefully.\u00a0 That is exactly what the Marine Resources Committee members appear to be doing and we applaud their deliberation.<\/p>\n

Among the concerns voiced by MLA Executive Director Patrice McCarron is the state\u2019s need to deal with latent licenses before making any changes that might affect the waiting list process.<\/p>\n

There are currently about 1,100 licensed lobstermen in Maine with no reported landings last year, according to the state\u2019s Dept. of Marine Resources (DMR).<\/p>\n

If any number of those licenses were to become active the impact to the fishery would obviously be substantial.<\/p>\n

As everyone knows, the Maine lobster fishery has been riding a curve of prolonged abundance and prosperity.<\/p>\n

Largely self-regulated, it has also proven to be a sustainable fishery in a region where that is no minor claim.<\/p>\n

But this fishery, like all others, is cyclical.<\/p>\n

Currently, there are those who caution that scientists do not yet know enough about the potential impact of warming ocean water temperatures on the lobster resource.\u00a0 Could we already be on the cusp of the next downward cycle?<\/p>\n

We don\u2019t know.<\/p>\n

But any significant drop in lobster landings \u2013 whenever and whatever the cause \u2013 is going to have a huge economic impact on lobstermen and fishing communities across the state.<\/p>\n

Is this justification for maintaining the status quo with the lobster licensing process?<\/p>\n

Not necessarily.<\/p>\n

We see some room for tweaking the process, if <\/i>that is what a majority of fishermen want.<\/p>\n

But we do urge those who make the rules:\u00a0 Tread cautiously before acting.\u00a0 \/cfn\/<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It would appear, as this issue goes to press, that a controversial bill to change some elements of the Maine lobster licensing process may be stuck in committee. If so, we think that is probably not a bad thing. The bill, widely discussed and well-covered by media within the state, would \u2013 among other things … <\/p>\n

Continue reading<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":6774,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[100,255],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9097","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-editorial","category-march-16","nodate","item-wrap"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fish-news.com\/cfn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9097","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fish-news.com\/cfn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fish-news.com\/cfn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fish-news.com\/cfn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fish-news.com\/cfn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9097"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/fish-news.com\/cfn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9097\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9104,"href":"https:\/\/fish-news.com\/cfn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9097\/revisions\/9104"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fish-news.com\/cfn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6774"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fish-news.com\/cfn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9097"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fish-news.com\/cfn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9097"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fish-news.com\/cfn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9097"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}