Lobster hauls in the Northumberland Strait in the Maritimes are bad and getting worse, and a fisherman out of Cape Tormentine, New Brunswick, is blaming the Confederation Bridge between his province and Prince Edward Island. “This was a bad season,” said Gary O’Hanley who’s been fishing for more than 40 years. “But the truth of
Racing under sail
To the editor: Sandra Dinsmore’s report on the damage to lobster gear seems to overlook the fact that the New York Yacht Club boats race under sail between ports without using their engines, and skippers are very careful to avoid fouling traplines, which would certainly impair their chances for success in the race. Fair Winds!
Island election results
Chellie Pingree, whose political career began on North Haven, received the most votes in 10 out of Maine’s 15 island voting districts. Pingree lost her statewide race for the U.S. Senate to Susan Collins, of course, but Collins prevailed on only five islands – Swan’s, Long, Frenchboro, Great Diamond and Great Cranberry (one of two
“Unique Australian Products:” Australia seeks new seafood markets in the U.S.
In the face of many obstacles – or perhaps because of them – Australian seafood suppliers are focusing their attention on the American market for a much larger share of their exports. Australian seafood companies opted not to attend the annual International Boston Seafood Show last March, but the Australian government did send a representative.
Shoreline access
To the editor: Thank you for running the picture of the “gated coast” (WWF Nov. 2002), keeping the loss of shoreline access forefront in people’s minds. The Friends of Martinsville Beach has a board of directors meeting weekly in an effort to restore established access. The board has incorporated and applied for 501 (c) (3)
Cleaning the coast
Imagine wrestling a sea gull for a piece of plastic. Theresa Torrent-Ellis, who heads Coastweek, the Maine coastal cleanup program, had to. “My children saw him with the plastic in his mouth and were very concerned,” she said. “Once the gull saw that I had interest in it, of course, he was even more interested
Bermuda research vessel plies coast of Maine
The research vessel WEATHERBIRD II from Bermuda visited the Penobscot Bay region in July and August for maintenance work at Rockland Marine, followed by a research cruise sampling the larval stages of lobsters. The objective of this cruise, sponsored by the Bigelow Laboratory for Marine Sciences in Boothbay Harbor, was to measure the vertical distribution
One more reach
To the editor: I very much enjoyed [Philip Conkling’s] description in the November WWF of what a reach is, but I have an addition to your list: Fiddler’s Reach on the Kennebec. I note this for the simple reason that my wife and I spent many delightful hours there on the Maine Maritime Museum’s SUMMERTIME
Fish growers agree on bay management plan
For the past year, the Maine Aquaculture Association (MAA) has been working with finfish growers to develop a Fin Fish Bay Management Agreement that will govern all finfish farming operations in the state. The purpose of the agreement is to promote sustainable aquaculture, which has been defined by the United Nations World Commission on Environment
Researchers, fishermen study dredge spoils impact
Between Nov. 15, 2002, and January 2003, the Army Corps of Engineers will be disposing of dredge spoils at the Rockland Disposal Site about halfway between Rockland and Vinalhaven. Silt and clay hauled from Camden and Belfast Harbor will be released at the site about three miles northeast of the Rockland Break-water in some 200