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Maine Lobster Zone F Council Meeting Minutes

June 26, 2008

Lobster Zone F Council Meeting
Yarmouth High School, Yarmouth, ME
June 26, 2008 – 7:00 p.m.

The meeting was called to order at 7:20 pm and introductions were made.

Approval of Minutes

Jeff made a motion to accept the minutes from last month and Tom Bennett seconded this motion.

L.A.C.

On July 23rd there will be a public hearing to update zones on the effort reduction questionnaire. Sarah said there was a huge return rate.

Promotion Council

Dane Somers gave a presentation of what is going on in the Maine Lobster Promotion Council. There is currently a quarterly newsletter being produced. He stated that people involved in lobster retail (chefs) were very interested in the lobstering process. The website is a very effective way to promote lobster in general. He stated that they are focusing on “branding” Maine lobster and described many other highlights of the program. However, he also stated that while they are working on the certification process they are finding many possible cons with M.S.C. certification. These factors were discussed. Dane also stated that he felt the lobster industry in general was in need of change to be successful in the future; adding value to the product was also discussed. The pre-assessment process was also reviewed. Members of the council raised concerns they had with becoming certified. M.S.C. certification may be beneficial from a marketing standpoint in the future.

DMR Updates

Sarah discussed the elections. Elliott mentioned that NMFS has delayed the sink rope implementation until April with some resistance from environmental groups. He also discussed a proposed trade off for float rope in Zone A through D sliver area. There was some discussion on this issue. Sarah updated the council on the upcoming saltwater recreation license. There was some discussion on this topic. Elliott also mentioned upcoming Coast Guard safety regulations. Limited entry surveys were also mentioned by Sarah.

L.C.M.T

David discussed what was on the agenda for the next LCMT meeting. Herring Amendment 4 was also discussed.

Effort Reduction

Jeff Putnam proposed that the council produce a petition concerning upcoming possible effort reductions to bring to the LAC. There was some discussion surrounding this idea. There was a need to fill Elliott’s Zone F seat on the LAC. Jeff Putnam was nominated by the council to represent Zone F at the LAC. Tom Bennett Made the motion and Jeff Adams seconded.

Bylaws

The latest changes to the bylaws were discussed. The first was page 3 section 7. David Merryman moved to accept this change; Gary Hawkes seconded. The second change was to have a nominating committee. After some discussion Elliott made a motion to accept this; David Johnson seconded the motion, all in favor.

Lower Limit of Licenses

This topic was discussed; a brief discussion mostly concerned whether the focus should be on tags or licenses.

Whale Rules

Sarah updated the council on upcoming dates concerning whale rules. There was some question on the I.O.C. tag increase and how the money would be allocated.

Next Meeting

The next meeting was set tentatively for the 3rd week in August.

Adjournment:

David Merryman made a motion for adjournment; Tom Bennett seconded, all in favor.

 

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