Maine’s authority asked all the lobstermen to report their number of catch and the place from where they catch them, to the Department of Marine Resources. Now the lobstermen tare keeping tract of their work but some of them opposed the idea of sharing information with the state.
The state will now have records of the about 850 lobstermen, representing 10 percent of those licenced in Maine. The data include the number of times they went out on the water, the number of traps they set or hauled each time and the number of lobster they caught.
Sharing these details would give Department of Marine Resources officials and scientists a fair knowledge of the number of traps being used and the time period the lobstermen spend in the water. But the lobstermen opposing the sharing data think that it is their trade secrets which should not be handed over like this.
Clive Farrin of Boothbay Harbor, president of the Down East Lobstermen’s Association, said that he personally don’t like the idea of giving ones trade details to the state as it would create more paperwork and confusion among licensed lobstermen who pay each other with some of their catch.
On the other hand Dave Cousens of South Thomaston, president of the Maine Lobsterman’s Association, do not mind to share idea with the state. According to him accurate data needed to make good decisions. He said that every lobstermen need to be accountable for what he/she do.
Heidi Bray, a scientist with the Department of Marine Resources, said few lobstermen are not happy with the idea and therefore some of them resigned to the fact.
