The state will use $8.3 million in federal funds from the Consolidated Appropriations Act to reimburse the costs of commercial harvesting licenses and some fees.
maine department of marine resources
Frenchman Bay salmon farm developer sues state for spiking its lease application
The Portland company, funded by Norwegian investors, proposed raising 66 million pounds of Atlantic salmon annually and operating a fish processing plant.
Federal windfall won’t put a stop to state lobster industry relief bills
Maine’s lobster industry will receive $17 million in federal funding as part of the 2022 omnibus spending package. Two pending state bills could nearly triple that amount.
Proposal for lobster industry legal defense fund gets divided response
The Legislature’s Marine Resources Committee took comment Tuesday on a proposal to help pay for the industry’s court battles against regulators.
Harpswell deployed new shark warning flag just twice this summer
The flag alert system, intended to warn beachgoers of a possible shark sighting, was adopted a year after a fatal shark attack off the coast of Bailey Island.
Maine lobster industry decries lack of clarity on enforcement of new whale-protection rules
Federal officials said they expect high compliance and will focus on educating violators, although big penalties can be invoked based on a patchwork of environmental laws.
Thirty-day countdown starts for Maine lobster industry restrictions to protect right whales
A more than 950-square-mile area of the Gulf of Maine will be off limits to traditional lobstering starting Oct. 18.
Maine won’t sue over right whale restrictions, but isn’t giving up fight
Marine Resources Commissioner Patrick Keliher told lawmakers that the state doesn’t have a viable case but will pursue other legal options.
Dead whale found off Phippsburg coast
A dead minke whale spotted floating off the coast of Phippsburg was later collected from a private beach in Georgetown.
Sunken boat leaks fuel into Damariscotta River
A milelong section is closed to shellfishing.