Over 50 boats participated in Sunday’s races in Portland Harbor, with fishing families and friends gathered to cheer them on.
lobstering
Harpswell Lobster boat races draw big crowd, hungry competitors
The annual races drew nearly 100 boats and 1,200 people from up and down the coast of Maine.
Congress weighs 10-year delay in lobstering rules that protect North Atlantic right whales
Rep. Jared Golden of Maine urged a committee to give the lobstering industry more time to prepare for regulations that advocates fear could hurt the industry.
Maine fisheries scientist nominated to head marine resources agency
Carl Wilson will temporarily replace Patrick Keliher as commissioner but must win Senate approval to keep the post on a permanent basis.
Lobstermen see controversial fishing gear in action for the first time
In Jonesport, the lobstermen were skeptical. But organizers don’t want an endorsement, they just want lobstermen to see the gear for themselves.
Endangered whales found entangled in rope off Massachusetts, and 1 is likely to die
The critically endangered North Atlantic right whales number less than 400, and the species faces existential threats from entanglement in gear and collisions with ships.
Regulators delay increase in minimum lobster size till July
The changes were previously slated to take effect in January but have drawn criticism from lobstermen who say they could give Canadian harvesters an unfair edge.
Harpswell landowners settle suit over ownership of small parcel of working waterfront
If the settlement is approved, a new nonprofit called Friends of Barleyfield Point will be buying the land with the intent of keeping it open for public use and commercial fishing.
State backs lobstermen in urging regulators to reevaluate changes to minimum size
They say increasing the minimum length of a harvestable lobster by one-sixteenth of an inch will prevent them from catching their most popular crustaceans.
Maine’s wharf owners scramble to repair what they can before lobstering season starts
Contractors are hard to come by amid the mounting demand to repair damage from January storms that battered the coast. Now, many are patching their own wharves, hoping they can hold out until the real work can be done.