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Jan 27, 2017

Marine resource bills coming before the Maine Legislature in 2017





The below list of fishery-related bills is as of 1/27/17  Additional bills will appear  they are finalized
Bill Topics:  lobsters, shellfish, marine ,worms , eels, smelt & rockweed


LOBSTERS
LD 14   An Act To Extend the Legal Hours for Harvesting Lobster
LD 68   An Act To Implement an Owner-Operator Requirement in the Scallop and Sea Urchin Fisheries
LD 113  An Act To Stabilize Lobster Bait Prices
LD 149  An Act To Provide Additional Management for Limited-entry Lobster Zones
LD 202.  An Act To Abolish Municipal Shellfish Ordinances
This bill eliminates the authority of a municipality to adopt a shellfish conservation program and ordinance


SHELLFISH

* LD 68,  An Act To Implement an Owner-Operator Requirement in the Scallop and Sea Urchin Fisheries
* LD 233  An Act To Establish a Statewide Scallop Harvesting Limit and Extend the Scallop Season
 
MARINE WORMS
.* LD 115  An Act To Protect the Marine Worm Industry       

EELS 

SMELTS

ROCKWEED 













 
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Jan 19, 2017

ME Legislature's new Marine Resources Committee gets DMR & NGO briefings: AUDIO

On January 18, 2017 Maine Legislature's new Marine Resources Committee  was briefed by  DMR officials and NGOs representing fisheries and conservation. The committee also received written material from NGOs that couldn't appear.

Part 1 committee and agency introductions

Committee Introductions. 2 minutes

DMR Carl Wilson 6min 37sec (in midspeech as recording begins )
DMR Commissioner Pat Keliher on fishery & aquaculture confidentiality regs. 1min

Keliher on experimental 53 metric ton shrimp fishery 2min53sec

John Lewis, Maine DMR Research & Aquaculture Director, 4min 24sec

Part 2 NGOs
Sebastion Bell, Maine Aquaculture Association. 14min

Julie Eaton, Maine Lobstering Union 5min 25sec

Unidentified speaker, naturalist on seaweed, 8minutes

George Siever Seaweed 6min 9 sec

Melissa Gates, Surfrider Foundation 3min49sec

Nick Battista, Island Institute 5min 48sec

Afternoon presentations
Mike Talhauser,  Penobscot East. 2min 40sec

Christina Fifield, Penobscot East 7min 34 sec

Togue Brawn, Downeqast Dayboat, on Scallops 7min 50 sec

Chris Vonderweidt, Gulf of Maine Research Institute min 30sec,

Scott Firmin Portland Water District 7min 48sec

York Sewer District chief 55sec

Down East Institute for Applied Marine Research. 9 min

Dana Morse Coop Extension,

Daniel Harrington Independent Maine wormharvesters,

Ben Martens ME Coast Fishermens Assoc, 6min

Dan Riley, Coastal Conservation Assn

Annie Tslikas, Maine Lobster Dealers Association

Committee Rules discussion, to end 17min

Full Part 2 and 3
Presentations Pt 2 Penobscot East to Maine Water Assn. 33min

Presentations Pt 3. Down East Institute to Maine Lobster Dealers Assoc 34min 








Jan 13, 2017

Food Sovereignty Ordinance advances in Rockland. Hear supporters speaking. AUDIO

Rockland's City Council gave initial approval Monday night, 1/9/17 to a draft food sovereignty ordinance.Supporters from around the region joined city residents.  Rockland would be first _city_ to adopt such an ordinance.(WRFR Interview of  Rockland FoodSov expert Jesse Watson. 23min 

Public comments on the proposed food sovereignty ordinance are followed by  the Rockland City Council discussing and voting 3-2 in favor of the proposed ordinance.
Judith Lawson
Ron Huber



Debby Atwell





David Myslabodski







After the vote , food sov advocate Jesse Watson praised the turnout, noting also that  it was a "surprise close vote" . He said that supporters differed from critics and holding that the ordinance do not frustrate the purpose of state or federal  regulations.

"For us supporters its not a question of exceeding authority." he said. "What is the purpose of these regs? The purpose is to provide a resilient food system that  makes safe,  nutritious and readily accessible food.  This ordinance does not frustrate the purpose of the combined department of food conservation and forestry." Watson told WRFR correspondent Ron Huber.

Jan 11, 2017

Maine Coastal Program's 11/22/16 FOAA response on offshore wind project Aquaventus/ Volturnus

Maine Coastal Program's 11/22/16 response to Friends of Penobscot Bay's FOAA  re Aquaventus/Volturnus 
request was for "Public records in custody of you or your staff dating from April 1, 2016 to November 14, 2016 that pertain to the Maine Aquaventus /Volturnus floating ocean wind turbines project, slated to occupy the Maine Offshore Wind Test Center.   (FOPB letter is page 34)

Much ado about trying to tweak the rules  to make the state offshore wind test center into a permanent windpower site - which it certainly was not intended to be!
A bit of groaning about opposition from Protect Monhegan folks

FOAA Part One Pages 1-12  PDF  Articles sent to each other

FOAA Part 2 Pages 13-34    PDF   Emails between the  people listed below 

People and email addresses used within the FOAA'd material:

State Agencies
Kathleen Leyden  <Kathleen.Leyden@maine.gov> Dir Maine Coastal Prog (MCP)
Mark Bergeron  <Mark.Bergeron@maine.gov>   Dir DEP Bureau of Lands
Robert G. Marvinney <Robert.G.Marvinney@maine.gov>  ME Geologic Survey
Patrick C. Woodcock <Patrick.C.Woodcock@maine.gov> Governor's Energy Office
Meredith Mendelson <Meredith.Mendelson@maine.gov>  DMR Deputy Commissioner
Philip deMaynadier <Phillip.deMaynadier@maine.gov>  DIFW Coordinator
Todd Burrowes <Todd.Burrowes@maine.gov>  MCP federal consistency reviewer
Peggy Bensinger  <Peggy.Bensinger@maine.gov>  MDEP's  Asst AG
Matthew Nixon  <Matthew.E.Nixon@maine.gov>  MCP  GIS &  Ocean Planning

Monhegan Residents
* Barbara Hitchcock <barbaramonhegan@gmail.com> Monhegan residen,t Hitchcock House
* Laura T Singer <lsinger@maine.rr.com> Monhegan Resident

Wind Industry
* Beth Nagusky <bnagusky@leedco.org>  Lake Erie Energy Development. Former head ME Governor's Energy Office- Baldacci
Info@windindustry.com   "Website for the windindustry"

Jan 6, 2017

Maine draft metallic mining rules OK'd by BEP, despite widespread community oppo. Sent to Legislature for approval.


Listen to audios of the Maine Board of Environmental Protection at its January 5, 2017 meeting, where it approved its latest draft of controversial new metallic mining rules, with the support of Maine DEP's mining division; despite nearly complete community opposition for the last two years.   25 second  justification of mining under coastal wetlands (bays)  read by BEP staffer

Media coverage of meeting. BDN   PPH   Mainebiz  MTC   See ME Metallic Mining Act . 
AUDIO
PART 1






Rockland Maine "infilling" ordinance draft 12/12/16 Click on pages

Rockland Maine "infilling" ordinance draft version Dec 12, 2016
Links below to the pages of the draft.
Note  red type is most recent addition. Strike outs are deletions

Page 1    Page 2    Page 3  Page 4 

Page 5     Page 6   Page 7  Page 8  

Page 9  Page 10  Page 11  Page 12 Page 13
























Jan 5, 2017

NOAA's Maine coast charts as downloadable pdf files

Easy access to navigational charts of Maine's coastal waters. Right-click on chart # to save or open.
Chart #      Scale
1327880000Portsmouth to Cape Ann; Hampton Harbor
1327920000Ipswich Bay to Gloucester Harbor; Rockport Harbor
1328110000Gloucester Harbor and Annisquam River
1328220000Newburyport Harbor and Plum Island Sound
1328320000Portsmouth Harbor Cape Neddick Harbor to Isles of Shoals; Portsmouth Harbor
1328520000Portsmouth to Dover and Exeter
1328680000Cape Elizabeth to Portsmouth; Cape Porpoise Harbor; Wells Harbor; Kennebunk River; Perkins Cove
1328720000Saco Bay and Vicinity
1328880000Monhegan Island to Cape Elizabeth
1329040000Casco Bay
1329220000Portland Harbor and Vicinity
1329340000Damariscotta, Sheepscot and Kennebec Rivers;South Bristol Harbor;Christmas Cove
1329515000Kennebec and Sheepscot River Entrances
1329615000Boothbay Harbor to Bath, Including Kennebec River
1329715000Kennebec River Courthouse Point to Augusta
1329815000Kennebec River Bath to Courthouse Point
1330140000Muscongus Bay;New Harbor;Thomaston
1330280000Penobscot Bay and Approaches
1330340000Approaches to Penobscot Bay
1330540000Penobscot Bay;Carvers Harbor and Approaches
1330720000Camden, Rockport and Rockland Harbors
1330815000Fox Islands Thorofare
1330940000Penobscot River;Belfast Harbor
1331280000Frenchman and Blue Hill Bays and Approaches
1331340000Approaches to Blue Hill Bay
1331520000Deer Island Thorofare and Casco Passage
1331640000Blue Hill Bay;Blue Hill Harbor
1331840000Frenchman Bay and Mount Desert lsland
1332110000Southwest Harbor and Approaches
1332210000Winter Harbor
1332310000Bar Harbor Mount Desert Island
1332440000Tibbett Narrows to Schoodic Island
1332580000Quoddy Narrows to Petit Manan lsland
1332640000Machias Bay to Tibbett Narrows
1339250000Grand Manan Channel Southern Part
1339450000Grand Manan Channel Northern Part; North Head and Flagg Cove
1339620000Campobello Island; Eastport Harbor
1339850000Passamaquoddy Bay and St. Croix River; Beaver Harbor; Saint Andrews; Todds Point