Category: Fisheries

Today’s Press Herald includes a report on the disappointing state of New England fish stocks.

It’s not a bad day, given the state of the Gulf of Maine’s fisheries, but all told there are just 25,000 pounds of product on the floor. Bert Jongerden, the exchange’s general manager, estimates that the publicly owned facility is on target for 5 million to 6 million pounds in 2012, ahead of the record low of 3.8 million pounds in 2010, but a fraction of the 20 million pounds it took in annually in the 1990s.

The Forecaster has a report on the early arrival of soft-shell lobsters,

“We’re dealing with something that’s never happened in the historical memory of the lobster industry, with the soft-shells coming this early,” said Matt McAleney, general manager of New Meadows Lobster, a Portland wholesaler.

Update: for more info see this article from the Press Herald.

According to an article in today’s Press Herald, the Maine shrimp season will be ending tomorrow,

As a conservation measure, fishermen were allowed to harvest no more than 4.9 million pounds of shrimp this year from the Gulf of Maine. The catch limit has probably already been exceeded, prompting regulators to shut down the fishery.

Today’s Press Herald includes a report on this year’s scallop harvest.

“The prices these guys are going to get are probably going to be higher than they’ve ever gotten in the history of this fishery,” said Temple, who has been selling scallops for 35 years. The higher price for fishermen means that consumers will pay more in restaurants and food stores.

Sea scallops, which are similar to but bigger than bay scallops, have been harvested along the Maine coast since the late 1800s. At times, scallops have been the state’s second-most valuable seafood, behind lobster.

The Press Herald has published a report on efforts to energize the Maine sea urchin fishery.

During the heyday, Maine urchin fishermen harvested more than 40 million pounds of the spiny creatures a year. A move is now under way to jumpstart the industry, which has fallen on hard times and is just a skeleton of its former self.

According to a report in today’s Press Herald, a rules change will now allow Maine lobster companies to process oversized lobsters.

The new rules roll back restrictions that had forced Maine lobster processors to follow the same size limits as the state’s fishermen, even on lobsters caught outside the state. They allow the processors to turn the oversized lobsters, most of which come from Canada, into products sold to restaurants and retailers.

Working Waterfront reports that the 2011-2012 Maine Shrimp season is being curtailed.

On October 28, regulators with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission imposed new restrictions for the upcoming shrimping season, including halving the season’s total allowable catch to 2,000 metric tons. Also, the start of the northern shrimp-fishing season was pushed back into early 2012.

The Food & Dining section in today’s Press Herald includes a report on the sustainable seafood chefs will be cooking with at the Ultimate Seafood Splash during Harvest on the Harbor.

But mackerel is out of season this time of year, and it doesn’t freeze well, so redfish — also known as ocean perch — has replaced it on Hayward’s Harvest on the Harbor menu. Redfish is usually available year round, but it comes closer to shore in summer and fall, according to Grimley.

A favorite of fishermen often relegated to the baitfish bin, redfish tastes similar to cod or haddock, but is a smaller filet and a little more dense.