Not a lot of people can sit around for that long waiting to lobster. It is your responsibility to make sure the tags are ordered correctly. There were 3 million trap tags, but only 2.6 million traps were in use, according to the Department of. Ten years later, he returned to fishing, only to find a long waiting list. PDF State of Maine Department of Marine Resources 21 State House Station Fourteen people in the zone would benefit from McCreights 10-year license bill, including VernonKvorjakof South Thomaston, who missed his student deadline by mere months as a teen. Effective September 12, 2009, a law was enacted to protect the long-term viability of island lobster fishing communities. . In 2018, four wait-listers inKvorjakszone got licenses. Thirty lobstermen are in front of him. There were nearly 6,000 licensed Maine lobstermen last year, but only 4,300 did any fishing. Im 49 years old and should be able to haul my own traps. Rep. William Tuell, R-East Machias, said he is torn over what to do about the waitlist. Paul LePage signed the bill into law this spring. Visit /dmr/fisheries/commercial/licenses and download and print license applications. I understand the frustration of the people waiting, Taylor said. Make sure your tags are ordered correctly. Another, proposed by McDonald, would exempt children age 12 and under from being counted as crew members on a captains license. Scott Beede is one of 302 people on the waiting list for a Maine lobster license. Getting into Maines lobster industry takes time. More than 200 people are waiting in the wings for a lobstering license, which has long been a ticket to the middle class for working coastal Mainers. By his calculations he'll be nearly 80 years old or. The people not in the business dont understand. He joined the Zone D waitlist in 2014. Applicants wait years, and at times even decades. More than 200 people are waiting in the wings for a lobstering license, which has long been a ticket to the middle class for working coastal Mainers. As directed by a bill passed in the state legislature this spring, the Maine Department of Marine Resources is in the process of contacting all individuals who are currently on the lobster license waiting . Would-be lobstermen must wait years for Maine license You cant legislate to let everyone do what they want to do, he said. Im very fortunate to have had another option, but some people dont. McDonald, a lobsterwoman from Stonington, said a particular problem is that the industry is faced with potential management changes to reduce interactions with the endangered North Atlantic right whale. Here in the Maine Department of Marine Resources' (DMR) Lobster Management Zone B, though, a strict limited entry system has resulted in a very long waiting list for new commercial lobster licenses. The 30-year-old is earning six figuresnow, butis willing to give that up to return to Maine, his family and a start in the fishery when his number comes up. South Thomaston lobsterman David Cousens, longtime president of the Maine Lobstermens Association, said fishermen acknowledge the inequity of somebody waiting for years for a lobster license. To all individuals on a lobster license waiting list - Maine Lobstermen A potential change to lobster licenses in Maine (DOCK TALK PODCAST) - MCFA See Offers. He wants zones to consider his or her historical fishing effort instead, to get a more accurate number for the allowable new traps. The Maine Department of Marine Department is asking anyone on a lobster license waiting list to contact them. Lobstering licenses - Portland Press Herald Critics of the existing system say its unfair that people who once held licenses and then left the industry for one reason or another are now barred from getting new licenses without going through the apprentice program and being put on a long waiting list. ADVERTISEMENT At 24, Masterson entered the lobster apprenticeship program. But for everyone else, the wait can be years or even decades. With approval from the Maine Department of Marine Resources, councils set limits on the number of traps, establish fishing times and days, and, since 1999, set entry rates to control the size of the state lobster fleet, which numbers about 4,500 people. Lobstering Zones in Maine. It looks like you do not have any active subscriptions. The response has been some very much in favor and some very much opposed.. Getting into Maine's lobster industry takes time. More than 200 people are waiting in the wings for a lobstering license, which has long been a ticket to the middle class for working coastal Mainers. Online Applications | Paper Applications | Landings Reports | Lobster Tags and Conservation Areas | Halibut Tags | Urchin Licenses | Elver Dealers, Online License Applications (LEEDS): https://maine-dmr-leeds-prod.pegacloud.com/. High school student Caleb Hardie said its difficult to complete the required 1,000 hours in the training program before the age of 18, while balancing school and community activities. Another member of the marine resources committee, Democratic Rep. Genevieve McDonald, said concern over possible changes in lobster fishing rules make it difficult to let new fishermen onto the water. If you plan on using your 2021 tags prior to June 1st, you must submit an affidavit stating that all your 2020 tags are null and void, as all lobster tags are valid through June 1st. Fishermen have caught more than 100 million pounds of the crustaceans for the last seven years after never previously reaching that mark in the states history. All waited at least a decade. Five students got in with no wait the year before. Kvorjakunderstands the overcrowding concerns. A licensing system put in place 15 years ago to protect the lobster population and lobster fishing community has resulted in long waits to get licenses. On Super Bowl Monday, 17 million workers are expected to call in sick, Maine orders edibles containing CBD removed from stores, Invasive fish that took over lakes now threatens the rest of Maine, Auburn police seize more than 30 pounds of fentanyl, This Maine ski town may crack down on short-term rentals, Maine sees regional high school as model despite failed attempts, Aroostook Countys Hogan Tire sold to national chain, Proudly powered by Newspack by Automattic. Im 49 years old and should be able to haul my own traps. Classmates in Rockland who had known enough to get student lobster licenses fished straight out of high school, butKvorjakcouldnt, so he enrolled at Maine Maritime Academy. Thats never a real nice feeling.. I was too young to realize what I wanted to do, Morrissette said. Learn more. To get a license now, wouldbe lobstermen have to complete a lobster fishing apprentice program that takes at least two years. Another, proposed by McDonald, would exempt children age 12 and under from being counted as crew members on a captains license. That would instantly add more than 50 new fishermen to the industry during an era of high catches and strong prices, but also concern about warming oceans and new fishing restrictions designed to protect whales. PDF files below requires Adobe Acrobat or the free Adobe Reader (download here) to view or print. //]]> Some state waters have too many fishermen fighting over the same area of lobster-rich bottom, he said. Tell Hank: (855) 247-HANK. In July 2008, after completing the program, Masterson was added to a list of area fishermen waiting for a state lobster license. Sign in or Subscribe If you have NOT received your tags within 6 week of ordering them, please contact DMR Licensing Division at (207) 624-6550, Option 2 so we can check on your status. Sign up and get our top stories delivered daily to your inbox at 6 a.m. Dreaming of a lobster license, but trapped on a waitlist. Comments are not available on this story. Applications for 2020 licenses must be post marked on or before December 31, 2020. Ones name will be removed from the list if they do not respond by Sept. 2.Forms are being sent in the mail.The Joint Standing Committee on Marine Resources approved changes to the licensing program in February. So you want to be a lobsterman - Portland Press Herald May 28, 2012 at 5:43 PM PORTLAND, Maine (AP) -- Scott Beede is one of 302 people on the waiting list for a Maine lobster license. All Rights Reserved. News Tips: (800) 280-TIPS He doesnt want to risk overfishing a stock that Maine lobstermen have worked hard to protect. The state is expected to release data about 2018 later this winter. The latest breaking updates, delivered straight to your email inbox. (Copyright (c) 2022 The Associated Press. 8. The proposal is up for a hearing on Tuesday before the Committee on Marine Resources. The Southwest Harbor resident hadnt planned to become a fisherman, justhelp outher family, but she got hooked. Beede, 50, says the states 15-year-old licensing system needs an overhaul to give newcomers like him a fair shot at getting a license to fish their own traps in Maines lobsterrich waters. Long waits prompt Maine lobster licensing review - Yahoo News The committee has not yet scheduled a public hearing on McCreights bill, L.D. It will be your responsibility to obtain the appropriate tag, as outlined below. The bill also raises the age for young lobstermen to automatically get a license when they finish an apprenticeship. Scott Beede is one of 302 people on the waiting list for a Maine lobster license. But a proposal before a state legislative committee would bring new people into the fishery who have been waiting for 10 or more years. By his calculations he'll be nearly 80 years old or dead by the time his wait is over. Please follow these steps to ensure you are obtaining the correct tag type (FEDERAL or NON-FEDERAL). This includes any supplemental licenses. Bill to let fishermen off lobster wait list gets hearing Shouldnt I be the one to teach him how to fish? Morrissette asked. The former social worker says those late bloomers shouldnt be effectively locked out of the fishery. It would also encourage zones to determine their exit-to-entry ratio differently. It concluded that setting entry barriers had more to do with controlling who gets the privilege to fish, not protecting the stock, as the number of traps had increased even as the number oflicenseholdersdecreased. The idea was if somebodys been on the list that long, it would be nice to offer them an alternative, McCreight said. The Joint Standing Committee on Marine Resources approved changes to the licensing program in February.