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

* LD 200    An Act To Allow Certain Municipal Shellfish Conservation Wardens To Seize and Sell Marine Organisms Taken in Violation of a Shellfish Conservation Ordinance

 
MARINE WORMS

.

* LD 115

An Act To Protect the Marine Worm Industry

EELS 

* LD 286,  An Act To Promote and Encourage the Sustainability of the Elver Fishery 

SMELTS

* LD 28 Resolve, Prohibiting the Commissioner of Marine Resources from Adopting or Enforcing Certain Rules Limiting the Quantity of Smelts a Person May Take from the Coastal Waters of the State until after Completion of a Study

ROCKWEED 

  * LD 199,  An Act To Implement Decibel Limits for Mechanical Rockweed Harvesters

 * LD 196   An Act To Protect Personal Information of Participants in a Community Well-being Check Program

 

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Maine bill adds "edible wild food" to list of nature products to require written permission to take.

LD 128 An Act To Prohibit Foraging on Private Land without Permission adds "edible wild food" to the  list of  items requiring written permission from the landowner before collecting them. 

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 

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

Intro by Mayor Will Clayton  46sec

Muriel Curtis, Rockland, 1min 38sec, 

Susie Shaw, Union, 2min 51sec

Ron Huber

Rockland state rep Pinny Beebe 

Spencer, 2min 14sec 

Steve Carroll,  Rockland 2min 11sec, 

Bonnie Preston, Blue Hill, 5min 48sec

Heather Bedford, Penobscot,   5min 34sec

Debby Atwell

Amanda Bennett, Rockland, 82sec

 Richard King, Liberty,  68 sec

Dave Webb,  2min 15sec

Ron Huber, FOPB, 3min 48sec

David Myslabodski

Mike Grondin, Rockland, 1min 34sec

Debby Atwell, Rockland, 5min 11sec

David Myslabodski, Rockland, 1min 38sec

Chris L , Old County Rd Rockland 

Judith Lawson, Rockland, 3min 15sec

Graham Jeffries, Rockland  4min

Rockland City Council next discusses then votes 3-2 in favor of the draft ordinance. 21 min 

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.

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

* Val Stori  <val@cleanegroup.org> Clean Energy Group, http://www.cleanegroup.org/blog-author/val-stori/

* Info@windindustry.com   "Website for the windindustry"

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

BEP meeting in progress when recording begins 11min 

Discussion by DEP & BEP favoring mining under coastal wetlands. 6min

Public commenter. Hendrick Gideonse 8min

Public commenter Lew Kingsbury 7min 

Public commenter Bruce Taylor & QA 21min

Public commenter _Dennis Chinoy_ 6min45sec

Public commenter Betsy Bishop Terrell 5min

Hendrick Gideonse

Public commenter Craig Terrell 7min

Public Commenter  Nick Bennett 13min

Public commenter  Doug Bowen 5min

Dennis Chinoy

Public commenter Ron Huber 3min

Full part 1 comments 78min 

Break

PART 2

Pub commenter Jeff Reardon 5min

Pub Commenter Kaitlyn Bernard 70sec

Cindy Bertocci q'd on public notice of hearing 3min

DEP staff  q'd wet waste / dry waste issue. 3min38sec

DEP Staff Shore funding question 38sec

DEP staff on if this a substantive change thus need add pub notice

DEP staff revisits issue of mining under protected resources. 2min46sec

BEP member calls for adding public's concerns to report to legislature 2min

Break

PART 3
BEP deliberates, approves draft rules w/o changes urged by public & ENGOs 29min

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

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

13278	80000	Portsmouth to Cape Ann; Hampton Harbor
13279	20000	Ipswich Bay to Gloucester Harbor; Rockport Harbor
13281	10000	Gloucester Harbor and Annisquam River
13282	20000	Newburyport Harbor and Plum Island Sound
13283	20000	Portsmouth Harbor Cape Neddick Harbor to Isles of Shoals; Portsmouth Harbor
13285	20000	Portsmouth to Dover and Exeter
13286	80000	Cape Elizabeth to Portsmouth; Cape Porpoise Harbor; Wells Harbor; Kennebunk River; Perkins Cove
13287	20000	Saco Bay and Vicinity
13288	80000	Monhegan Island to Cape Elizabeth
13290	40000	Casco Bay
13292	20000	Portland Harbor and Vicinity
13293	40000	Damariscotta, Sheepscot and Kennebec Rivers;South Bristol Harbor;Christmas Cove
13295	15000	Kennebec and Sheepscot River Entrances
13296	15000	Boothbay Harbor to Bath, Including Kennebec River
13297	15000	Kennebec River Courthouse Point to Augusta
13298	15000	Kennebec River Bath to Courthouse Point
13301	40000	Muscongus Bay;New Harbor;Thomaston
13302	80000	Penobscot Bay and Approaches
13303	40000	Approaches to Penobscot Bay
13305	40000	Penobscot Bay;Carvers Harbor and Approaches
13307	20000	Camden, Rockport and Rockland Harbors
13308	15000	Fox Islands Thorofare
13309	40000	Penobscot River;Belfast Harbor
13312	80000	Frenchman and Blue Hill Bays and Approaches
13313	40000	Approaches to Blue Hill Bay
13315	20000	Deer Island Thorofare and Casco Passage
13316	40000	Blue Hill Bay;Blue Hill Harbor
13318	40000	Frenchman Bay and Mount Desert lsland
13321	10000	Southwest Harbor and Approaches
13322	10000	Winter Harbor
13323	10000	Bar Harbor Mount Desert Island
13324	40000	Tibbett Narrows to Schoodic Island
13325	80000	Quoddy Narrows to Petit Manan lsland
13326	40000	Machias Bay to Tibbett Narrows
13392	50000	Grand Manan Channel Southern Part
13394	50000	Grand Manan Channel Northern Part; North Head and Flagg Cove
13396	20000	Campobello Island; Eastport Harbor
13398	50000	Passamaquoddy Bay and St. Croix River; Beaver Harbor; Saint Andrews; Todds Point