Three members of the Legislature’s Marine Resources Committee attended the Lobster Advisory Council’s meeting in early November. Senator Dennis Damon (D-Trenton), Rep. Jeff Kaelin (R-Winterport) and Rep. Leila Percy (D-Phippsburg) wanted to hear what Council members thought about LD 276, which would permit the sale of lobster licenses. Senator Damon is Senate co-chair of the Marine Resources Committee.
There was no hesitation as council member after council member spoke against the bill. In the end, the lobster council vote was unanimously against the bill, with one abstention.
Dana Rice of Birch Harbor said, “Usually I sit back, but I’m going to be the first to say ‘No, no, hell, no. The worst thing in the state of Maine is when you put a dollar price on the state of Maine.”
Larry Knapp, Zone E council member from Boothbay, said, “this is a short term and personal gain for a few. I remember when fishermen owned shore property, and then they put a dollar figure on it.”
Burt Leach, Zone C council member from Little Deer Isle, reported that a group of Canadian fishermen talked to the Stonington Fishermen’s Alliance. They talked about how terrible the sale of licenses was in Canada for individual fishermen. “In my zone, everyone is against it.”
Steve Train of Long Island in Casco Bay, chair of the advisory council, said, “The sale of licenses goes against everything we know about how to decrease effort. The first licenses to go will be the latent ones and [selling them would] increase effort.”
Rep. Walter Ash (D-Belfast), with Senator Ken Lemont (R-Kittery) as cosponsor, presented the bill last spring. It was tabled for a fall workshop to give Rep. Ash time to work out issues brought up in public hearing.
Ash said he presented the bill because a number of fishermen came to him asking, “What do I do with my stuff when I want to retire? It’s so hard to get a license that there’s no one who want to buy my used gear and boat. And there are some hardworking fishermen, no matter what they do, but they can’t make a go of the business.”
Two Zones, E (Boothbay Harbor area) and G (Kennebunkport to Kittery) reported that their zones were split 50-50 on the issue.
David Etnier, Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Marine Resources and former co-chair of the Marine Resources Committee, said “DMR has been against this every time it’s come up. I’m glad to see you can look beyond your personal gain, and look towards other generations.”
Dave Cousens, President of the Maine Lobstermen’s Association, weighed in with, “This does away with the apprenticeship program and the Zone Councils. There will be no kids getting into the fishery. In Canada, the licenses go for big bucks. That sounds good – $200,000 for a license – when you are ready to retire, but no high school kid can go for this. You can’t have a license sale and an apprentice program. Effort will increase as the guy who buys your boat, gear, and license will put even harder effort to pay off that debt.”
He explained that no other business allows one to sell a license. One can’t sell a master electrician’s license. One can sell a business, but not the license that represents the state’s permission to do something.