Maine Lobster Zone F Council Meeting Minutes
Zone F Council Meeting
Log Cabin Yarmouth
08/20/08-7:00 pm
Present: Gregg Whitton, Jeff Putnam, David Johnson, Willis Spear, Don Ulrickson, Gary Hawkes, Tom Bennett, Glenn Rogers, Jeff Adams, Ted Bear, Eric Anderson, Jared Bertrand, Jodie Jordan, Bill Doane, Elliott Thomas, Lynda Doughty, Donna Hall, Sarah Cotnoir, Carl Wilson and Lt. Jon Cornish.
Minutes
A motion was made to accept the minutes from the June 22nd meeting by Jeff Putnam. David Johnson seconded and all were in favor.
Lobster Advisory Council
Jeff Putnam reviewed the last LAC meeting. Effort reduction was discussed, as well as the Red Tide tamale issue. Jeff also discussed the effort for a double tagging compromise.
DMR
Sarah gave an overview of recent public hearings. Elliot Thomas then informed the board about news concerning certification. There is an informational meeting concerning this on Sept. 24th. There was some discussion on the certification process. Carl Wilson added that reporting and whales would tie into the certification process. He also added that stock assessments would become a major part of this process.
Sarah updated the council on Herring Amendment 4 recent news. The quota seems to be filling up quickly.
District Reports
Each district gave reports on their areas.
Effort Questionnaire
Carl Wilson gave a presentation on the lobster effort questionnaire and pointed out highlights of the questionnaire results. After his presentation there was some discussion of the survey. Ted Bear mentioned that the part time/full time harvesters should be considered. Jeff Putnam mentioned a possible federal trap limit in the works. Sarah gave an overview of the ideas other zones had for effort reduction. There was a lengthy discussion of possible ideas. Jeff Putnam pointed out that Zone F was in favor of freezing tags, this was discussed. Phased in trap limits were also suggested. Any ideas will be brought back to the L.A.C. meeting on Augusta 27th. Sarah also discussed the possible creation of an island zone.
Whale Rules Update
Sarah updated the board on what was happening with the whale rules. She also handed out a budget outlining tag money. How funds were being spent and allocated was discussed. The board voted to keep the .10 whale tag money. David Johnson was first and Gary Hawkes seconded the motion; all were in favor.
New Business
A member from the audience suggested fines and penalties for violations be much stricter. Donna Hall stated that a sub-committee has been put together to look into violation fines and penalties.
Elections of New Officers
Jeff Adams said that elections of new officers would be put off until the next meeting.
Marine Patrol
Violations for V tails and shorts have been up lately.
Adjournment
A motion to adjourn was made by Tom Bennett first, Gary Hawkes seconded the motion. All were in favor at 9:32 pm.
