Maine's state of Maine lobster fishery meetings conclude
The Maine Department of Marine Resources wrapped up its final State of the Lobster Fisheries meetings on Monday in York and Scarborough.
They were part of a series of 12 meetings that started last month.
Live Lobster fishermen pulled in more than 126 million pounds of lobster in 2013, but that is more than triple the historic average, which drove down prices and raised questions about whether that's sustainable for the long haul.
Lobster Roll
Fresh lobster roll kit includes two pounds
of special claw and knuckle meat from jumbo lobsters
"With things going along right now really well, and the landings are high, the resource is healthy. But what if that changes?"asked Patrick Keliher, Marine Resources commissioner. "And if that changes, what type of reactions will we have to deal with from a management perspective, so-- my goal is to have this industry in a situation where they are going to be well-placed for any changes in the future."
The state is also trying to figure out what to do with the so-called "latency issue." Right now, about a third of the 6,000 license holders aren't actively fishing, which could be a problem if some of them suddenly start fishing.
Those licensed fishermen are legally allowed to do so, but experts are concerned it could put an unexpected strain and lobster population.
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