A bill that would allow draggers to locally sell the lobsters they catch in their nets was killed last week with a unanimous vote of the Marine Resources Committee, but legislators say they are still interested in finding other ways to help the beleaguered groundfishing industry here.
Sen. Dennis Damon, D-Hancock County, chairman of the Marine Resources Committee, said the decision to kill the bill that would have allowed groundfishing boats to sell lobsters in Maine, was based on the need to protect one of the state’s most valuable resources.
“We looked at the effect it was going to have on the lobster stocks,” Damon said, and decided it was a bad idea. The temptation might be too great, he said, for groundfishermen to “throw the smaller ones” overboard and keep the large lobsters that lay more eggs.
Those lobsters can now be sold in Massachusetts, and some boats are heading south for the 10 to 20 percent additional earnings the lobsters bring. And that is hurting the Portland Fish Exchange, which lobbied for a change in the law.
Those extra earnings have become critical for some groundfishing fleets facing hard times because of the federal restrictions on days at sea designed to allow diminished fish stocks to replenish. Damon said while the vote to kill the lobster dragging bill was unanimous, there was recognition the groundfishing industry is in trouble.
A subcommittee of Marine Resources has been set up to recommend emergency legislation that would help the groundfish industry in the short term. Some of the ideas being considered include eliminating the sales tax on fuel and ice for groundfishing boats.
“Some of it’s going to cost money,” Damon said.
The subcommittee is being chaired by Sen. Dana Dow, R-Lincoln and Knox counties, and Rep. Herb Adams, D-Portland, and is due to report back to the full committee next week.
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