The Maine Lobstermen’s Association is hosting a fundraiser in Boothbay Harbor in response to new federal regulations that some worry will hinder the industry.
The event, a community lobster dinner, raffle and auction, will be held from 3-6 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 7, at Brady’s, 25 Union St. in Boothbay Harbor. All proceeds will be donated to the lobstermen’s association’s Save Maine Lobstermen campaign. Tickets went on sale several weeks ago, and the event is sold out.
“Doing anything we can to help ensure there is a lobster fishery for the next generation is a no-brainer,” said event organizer and Brady’s owner Jen Mitchell. “Boothbay Harbor’s working waterfront is the economic engine of this town, and the lobster industry is in the driver’s seat. Can you imagine what coastal communities like Boothbay would be like if we didn’t have a lobster industry?”
Comedian Tim Sample, a Boothbay native, will also perform at the event.
Boothbay lobsterman and MLA board member Troy Plummer led the effort to have local lobstermen donate all the lobster and clams that will be served, and several other supporters and businesses have donated raffle and auction prizes including two prime third-baseline tickets to two Boston Red Sox/New York Yankees games and a two-night stay in a harbor-view room at the Encore Casino Hotel, an overnight stay at the Oceanside Resort in Boothbay and two rounds of golf at the private Boothbay Harbor Country Club, and original lobster tail art donated by Ogunquit artist Amy Kelly, owner of TailSpinStudio.
The federal government has outlined a plan that aims to protect the endangered North Atlantic right whale by instituting regulations on the lobster fishery and the gear it uses. The MLA filed a lawsuit in September 2021 to try and force the government to go back to the drawing board and develop a new plan that would protect the whale without changes that would impact Maine’s lobster industry. The lobstermen’s association argues right whales are rarely seen in waters where Maine lobstermen fish.
In November 2021, the lobstermen’s association launched a three-year, $10 million fundraising campaign to be used to help protect Maine’s lobstering heritage. More information about the campaign is available at savemainelobstermen.org.
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