I am a full-time lobsterman fishing out of Pine Point, Scarborough. Currently, the lobster industry is a traditional trap fishery and lobstermen are only allowed to land lobsters and crabs. There is a bill in the Legislature (L.D. 170) that would allow draggers and other non-trap gear to land lobsters in Maine.

Maine has been the leader in creating a sustainable lobstering industry. A ban on landing dragged lobsters in Maine is one of the three cornerstones of lobster conservation, along with maximum size protection and V-notch protection. Dragging for lobsters causes injury and mortality to lobsters. It also encourages highgrading in order to land the most valuable product (the largest lobsters), and results in unnecessary harm and mortality to those lobsters not landed.

The lobster industry does not believe that anyone should be able to land lobsters harvested with gear other that traps, and has fought against this at the federal level. According to Maine law, it is illegal for Maine vessels to land dragged lobsters in other states. Maine should not support a practice that harms Maine’s lobster resource and industry just because other states do. This is not allowed anywhere else in the world.

The lobster industry has spent years creating a strong market for the Maine lobster brand. Maine lobster is well known as a sustainable, traditional, trap-based fishery. Allowing dragged lobster to be landed would cause irreparable problems to the lobster industry and will affect the market and price.

The lobster fishery is one of the few not being depleted to extinction as other fisheries, and that is largely due to good stewardship and conservation measures. Lobster fishing plays a large role in the state’s economy, and I feel this needs protecting more than the groundfishing in the state. We should not compromise the lobster fishing industry to save the fish auction in Portland. This would have grave consequences for lobster fishing, tourism and the state.

I would urge any legislators to vote in opposition to this bill.

David Provencher

Scarborough