BUCKSPORT — Maine officials are seeking input on a small area that is closed to lobstering and crab fishing due to concerns about mercury contamination.

A public hearing is being held Monday on the state’s closure of seven square miles to lobstering at the mouth of the Penobscot River. The hearing is at the Bucksport Middle School Performing Arts Center. The state will accept comments until March 31.

Lobster around the Penobscot River were monitored for years before the state says it found high enough levels of mercury to enact the closure on Feb. 22. The small closure will last a minimum of two years and impact an estimated 10 lobstermen out of thousands.

The mercury found in the contaminated lobster is roughly the same found in a can of tuna.


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