The first pic is nice. I used to haul lobsters by truck and believe one day that I went to that dock and got 5 or 6 thousand pounds for the man that I was working for at the time. I spent a few years working in lobster pounds and lobster buying as well as being a lobster fisherman. I gave it up for one major reason.
When I started as a lad a Maine lobster license was $10. The laws were simple and very common sense ie: dont mess with anothers gear, dont take short or big lobsters etc. Fishermen built their own traps, caught their own bait in many cases and were as independent as it was possible to get in Maine at that time.
Then the regulators got into it big time. I complied with the new rules but every year it got worse. Then the zone councils. Angus King appointed Robin Alden as Commissioner. She was the first commissioner really accepted by the fishermen because she was married to one. Zone councils were her major idea. The illusion was that fishermen would control their own destiny. Ha Ha Ha! Every Fed in the world is in it now. The regulatory mess is astronomical! Then the zone councils closed the zones to new fishermen. Who wouldn't want to do that. Greed loves to get rid of the competetion.
But in reality it is the death knell for a way of life for the natives of the Maine Coast towns. Young people get out of school and want to fish, and can't get into a closed shop. Only under extraordinary circumstances of course. So what do they do? They pack their stuff and leave the Maine Coast.
Am I bitter about it? You bet. Anytime their is a loss of freedom I bemoan the fact. Do I sympathize with those who have closed the door and now are in financial messes due to market conditions?
Not by a damn site. They brought it on themselves.
Linda sounds like a nice person who cares. Selling bait and fuel at cost is a NEW idea. Lobster pounds have been around forever. If it was not for the storage of lobsters, especially in the winter, prices would be worse than they are now. Refrigerated bait is not a new idea. Bait has been frozen in Maine for many years. Is it expensive? You bet.
What do I see for the long term?
Corporate boats! Pure and simple. Oh! They say that can't happen as Maine law requires the owner to be on the boat. Ha Ha Ha.
The Maine Legislature can make a law turning black into white if they want.
When the current situation gets worse and lots of Maine families are hurting someone will come along and say: Hey I can build a big boat and put several Mainers to work again. Only need to change that one law and "VOILA" it will be done.
There will be a day when most Maine fishermen are working on a boat that they don't own for a corporate owner who probably doesn't even live in the state. And the Federal and State regulators can be justifiably proud of how they destroyed the once independant Maine Loster Industrry and replaced it with corporate ownership that is politically connected.
Incidentally, getting control of the fishermen was necessary and that happened. Nothing beats getting control of an industry any better than first getting control of the people in it. I believe that was the plan from day one. Nice job guys!
And that is not too far away!
Just watch!
SKF Interview: Linda Bean's Lobstering in the Future
Linda Bean’s Perfect Maine
Words & photos by Scott K Fish
11/15/08
Creating new ways to keep an old industry thriving long into the future. That’s very much the challenge with Maine’s lobster industry these days. In October 2008, for example, Governor John Baldacci created a new Task Force dedicated to that purpose. But for awhile now, at her wharves in the coastal Towns of Port Clyde and Tenants Harbor in Knox, County, Linda Bean is already a success at putting in place new ideas for Maine’s lobster industry, all under the banner of “Linda Bean’s Perfect Maine.”
I visited Linda in early October 2008 at her Port Clyde wharf, a beautiful spot. I felt as if I was walking in a movie set designed as Everyman’s vision of a Maine coastal town. My instincts are good. Linda Bean’s general manager points to me to nearby Marshall Point lighthouse seen in the movie “Forrest Gump.” If I had come for this interview a day sooner, he says, I would have seen Andrew Wyeth waiting on the dock for a launch to take him home.
Linda Bean’s wharf, Port Clyde, Maine.
When Linda Bean arrives we say hello, shake hands, then walk out onto the wharf where I start learning more of Linda Bean’s idea for “adding value to lobster,” and “looking at lobstering in the future.”
Linda Bean first visited this Port Clyde wharf when it was owned/operated by David Larsen of the local Atwood family. Bean approached Mr. Larsen, saying, “I don’t suppose you want to sell this place, but if you ever do, I wish you would keep me in mind.” Larsen took Bean’s business card, saying he would keep her in mind.
Nine years later Bean’s home phone rang. Mrs. Larsen was calling. It had been so long, Bean told me, at first she wasn’t sure what the caller was talking about. Then it sank in. The Port Clyde wharf was for sale.
For six months, Linda Bean went to work at the wharf learning how the entire operation works. “There are two businesses here, really,” Bean said. “Buying lobsters and selling lobsters and lobster products.”
Bean has put in place at her wharves two “planning ahead” innovations - a lobster pound and refrigeration units - giving strength to two weak spots in Maine’s lobster industry.
Catching lobsters in traps without bait has a success rate equal to catching fish without baiting fishhooks. Yet, thanks to government regulations on what kinds of bait fish can be caught where and when, coupled with no way to preserve bait fish for very long, lobstermen were sometimes grounded when they couldn’t get lobster bait.
In a classic why-didn’t-I-think-of-that? moment, Linda Bean put in at her wharves refrigeration units. The unit I walked through at Port Clyde contained several large tubs of bait fish, salted and kept cool so Bean’s wharf and the fishermen doing business there can carry-on working in otherwise lean times.
Linda Bean also repaired an earth-and-wood dam at the mouth of a cove at the wharf. The dam allows a natural ebb-and-flow of the tide so the cove can serve as a lobster pound holding up to 80,000 pounds of living lobsters. This innovation allows for a fresh lobster inventory when before, fresh lobsters were hard or impossible to come by.
Linda Bean’s lobster pound viewed from its earth-and-wood dam.
I learned Maine lobstermen and lobster wharf owners work without contracts. Lobstermen bring their lobsters to wharf operators they like best. After introducing herself in person to local and nearby lobstermen - Bean waited. Would the lobstermen come? Yes. Lobstermen can get at Bean’s wharf boat fuel and bait at cost. “I don’t make a profit on fuel and bait,” Bean said. Lobstermen bring their catch to the wharf. Their lobsters are weighed and stored. Lobstermen are paid for their lobsters at each week’s end.
With a way to receive and store fresh Maine lobsters secured, what’s next for Linda Bean? For starters she is marketing fresh lobsters, lobster rolls, lobster stew, and other seafood products under the “Linda Bean’s Perfect Maine” brand. Bringing new ideas to an old industry. “Linda Bean’s Perfect Maine” Live Lobsters are, according to Bean’s web site, “deliverable to your home or business. You can get [live lobsters] no fresher.” The refrigeration unit, the lobster pound, and her working relationship with lobstermen assure that claim.
“Sustainability” is a common buzzword these days. Customers want to be sure they’re not dining on Maine’s last lobster. “We have sustainable lobster industry in Maine,” Linda Bean said. “Since the 1930s Maine lobsterman have been using sustainable practices.” She mentions Maine’s practice of not harvesting certain female or baby lobsters. Maine lobster traps are designed so baby lobsters can escape! “Not all states do as Maine does. The forbearance of Maine fishermen is giving us what we have today,” Bean said.
With that in mind, each Linda Bean fresh lobster has a tag telling where the lobster was caught and the assurance: “Authentic Maine Lobster, Wild Caught in U.S.A. by Maine Fishermen Using Sustainable Practices.” Bean is also in the process of seeing to it her lobsters achieve the “highly desirable eco label of the Marine Stewardship Council in London.” The European market demands the MSC label. And Wal-Mart, which Linda tells me is “the biggest buyer of seafood in the world,” won’t buy seafood without the MSC label as of year 2012.
Will “Linda Bean’s Perfect Maine” Lobster Rolls become the item hungry Americans think of after hamburgers and hot dogs? That’s the plan! Lobster: The Next American Sandwich! Talk about a boost for the lobster industry into the future. Bean’s is a quarter pound of Maine lobster from her wharf made into a special salad and served on a hot dog roll. Linda says, “It stirs your primal senses.”
Linda’s Bean’s products are available on her web site. A press release says her products “are being positioned for green and sustainable markets nationwide, including supermarkets, club stores, national restaurant chains and independent restaurants.” You’ll also find Bean lobster rolls and such for sale at take-out counters in Freeport and Rockland. Plus, Linda Bean has plans to open “Linda Bean’s Perfect Maine” franchises in Florida serving Bean’s food along with other Maine produced foods on the menu.
My time with Linda Bean ends at the Port Clyde General Store. Inside, apart from modern appliances, the General Store looks much the same, I bet, as it did a century ago. Linda leads me to a fish tank full of her lobsters being sold for $3.50 per pound during Help Maine’s Lobster Industry Day. Up-and-down Maine’s coast others are selling lobsters at low rates, encouraging people to buy, to help out Maine’s lobstermen and their families.
I suspect if I asked Linda ten years ago what she thought she’d be doing in October 2008 she would not have described herself an innovator in Maine’s lobster industry. In telling me how she got started at the lobster wharf, Linda said, “We keep being reborn.” That is, we find ourselves on one life track then - poof! - we’re on a brand new life track.
Linda Bean is smart and business-savvy. More than that, I saw in her deep respect for, humility toward, Maine lobstermen and their families, and the invaluable traditions these Maine families will carry into the future.
I can’t imagine a better champion for Maine’s lobster industry.
Visit Linda Bean’s Perfect Maine on the web:
http://www.LindaBeansPerfectMaine.com/
####
Last edited by Editor on Thu Nov 20, 2008 2:03 pm; edited 2 times in total
Joined: 22 Feb 2005
Posts: 1493
Location: Beddington, ME
Posts: 1493
Location: Beddington, ME
Joined: 22 Feb 2005
Posts: 1493
Location: Beddington, ME
Posts: 1493
Location: Beddington, ME
I want to state that my comments above are not in the least meant to disparage in any way the nice piece posted by the editor or the work and ideas possessed by Linda Bean. I am glad that some people do care.
What I am distressed, and make fun of a bit, are, first the regulators in this situation. Haven't you ever noticed that those who are "regulating" are never those who are "regulated"?
Oh I know this zone council idea was sold to the fishermen on the basis that they would 'regulate" their own industry. In reality what rules they do get to make are only within narrow limits as described by the state and feds. They have what appears to be some "freedom" but it is at the end of a very short leash in the hands of those who make the "real" rules.
I am laughing at the regulators who thought they were smarter than the fishermen. Don't these folks always think they are smarter than those they think of as beneath themselves?
They thought they were saving the fishermen from ever catching too many lobsters. And it never dawned on them that too much of something could be just as bad as not enough.
And I have to say"gotcha" to the fishermen who were too stupid to see what they were giving up. The lobster insustry has historically had coastal people moving in and out of the industry as conditions warranted. Most of my family members were at best that dreaded creature the "part timer" that scalawag that got blamed for catching all the lobsters. In reality this was a way of life on the Maine coast for a century or more.
The fishermen bought the regulators dogma figuring that the regulators would "take care of them".
What BS. The best way I can sum this up is in the words of Orlando Sentinel columnist Charley Reese from nearly 20 years ago.
He said: "I would rather have my liberty than a filthy bowl of oatmeal and a promise of security from liars and con artists".
Great words then and just as to-the-point right now.
The regulators will just go on to regulate the next thing as their ilk does.
What will the fishermen, who borrowed heavily from the banks in order to buy the latest fad in boats, engines and gear, do when the banks take all their stuff?
And what will the native families in the small coatal towns do when they can't make a living?
What I am distressed, and make fun of a bit, are, first the regulators in this situation. Haven't you ever noticed that those who are "regulating" are never those who are "regulated"?
Oh I know this zone council idea was sold to the fishermen on the basis that they would 'regulate" their own industry. In reality what rules they do get to make are only within narrow limits as described by the state and feds. They have what appears to be some "freedom" but it is at the end of a very short leash in the hands of those who make the "real" rules.
I am laughing at the regulators who thought they were smarter than the fishermen. Don't these folks always think they are smarter than those they think of as beneath themselves?
They thought they were saving the fishermen from ever catching too many lobsters. And it never dawned on them that too much of something could be just as bad as not enough.
And I have to say"gotcha" to the fishermen who were too stupid to see what they were giving up. The lobster insustry has historically had coastal people moving in and out of the industry as conditions warranted. Most of my family members were at best that dreaded creature the "part timer" that scalawag that got blamed for catching all the lobsters. In reality this was a way of life on the Maine coast for a century or more.
The fishermen bought the regulators dogma figuring that the regulators would "take care of them".
What BS. The best way I can sum this up is in the words of Orlando Sentinel columnist Charley Reese from nearly 20 years ago.
He said: "I would rather have my liberty than a filthy bowl of oatmeal and a promise of security from liars and con artists".
Great words then and just as to-the-point right now.
The regulators will just go on to regulate the next thing as their ilk does.
What will the fishermen, who borrowed heavily from the banks in order to buy the latest fad in boats, engines and gear, do when the banks take all their stuff?
And what will the native families in the small coatal towns do when they can't make a living?
Joined: 06 Oct 2004
Posts: 23602
Location: Southern Maine
Posts: 23602
Location: Southern Maine
Scott - nice article, and interview! Any photos of Linda Bean herself?
Joined: 18 Apr 2005
Posts: 2310
Location: Here and There
Posts: 2310
Location: Here and There
Good article. I applaud Bean for her effort to create better opportunities for the lobstering industry. There is one point I found confusing where it said - "Bean is also in the process of seeing to it her lobsters achieve the “highly desirable eco label of the Marine Stewardship Council in London.” The European market demands the MSC label. And Wal-Mart, which Linda tells me is “the biggest buyer of seafood in the world,” won’t buy seafood with the MSC label as of year 2012."
Is it possible this should read "without the MSC label"? It'd make more sense. If I'm having a dense moment, someone please explain. Thanks.
Is it possible this should read "without the MSC label"? It'd make more sense. If I'm having a dense moment, someone please explain. Thanks.
Joined: 10 Aug 1999
Posts: 35916
Location: Maine
Posts: 35916
Location: Maine
woodcanoe -
Thank you. Good insight. Have you noticed Maine fisheries are about the only part of Maine not represented on AMG? It's not from lack of trying. I would love having one or more people posting here, keeping us abreast of what's happening in the industry.
Naran -
I didn't take any pictures of Linda. But here's one from her web site.
Bluejay -
Thank you. Nice catch. (No pun intended.) I vote we change your Login Name to "Red Pen." What do you think?
skf
Last edited by Editor on Sat Nov 15, 2008 6:17 pm; edited 1 time in total
Thank you. Good insight. Have you noticed Maine fisheries are about the only part of Maine not represented on AMG? It's not from lack of trying. I would love having one or more people posting here, keeping us abreast of what's happening in the industry.
Naran -
I didn't take any pictures of Linda. But here's one from her web site.
Bluejay -
Thank you. Nice catch. (No pun intended.) I vote we change your Login Name to "Red Pen." What do you think?
skf
Last edited by Editor on Sat Nov 15, 2008 6:17 pm; edited 1 time in total
Joined: 06 Oct 2004
Posts: 23602
Location: Southern Maine
Posts: 23602
Location: Southern Maine
The reason there may not be anyone from the fisheries on AMG is that there are hardly any left.
Joined: 22 Feb 2005
Posts: 1493
Location: Beddington, ME
Posts: 1493
Location: Beddington, ME
The worst problem today for many Maine lobstermen is that they are heavily leveraged with absolutely savage amounts of debt. This has come about for many reasons.
I was a boy in Stonington in the 1950's and early 60's. Many of my friends were of fishing families. Though my dad was not one both of my uncles were. Fishing was a way of life in most coastal towns and it consisted of a number of different things not just lobsters. In the spring both of my uncles dug clams. Others set out trawls for hopefully a halibut now and then as they could bring a pretty good price. Later on fishermen set out their traps. Some years spring fishing was better than others but that was the nature of a natural resource. Incidentally all fishermen built their own lobster traps out of wood. The lobster dealers would supply trap stock during the winter on credit and the fishermen would work in their little shops building and repairing gear and painting buoys. I don't think there has ever been a better place to spend some time than in a fishermans shop in the winter. The work is pleasant and constant visitors and story telling livened up the day. I spent thousands of hours in a shop and never regretted a moment of it. Some fishermen would rig their boats for scallop fishing in the winter but that had good and bad years. In the summer some fishermen would go seining for herring for the factories. They would often hire many other fishermen to pull the nets. Lots of people made money in the sardine business. Some fishermen worked in the woods or on part time jobs in the winter. Not many were just full time lobster fishermen.
Most fishermen that I knew were pretty frugal, in fact you had to in those days as you had to pretty much make enough money in the good part of the year in order to survive the winter. My uncles, and me in my turn, used to go into the woods in the winter and look for long straight limbs from red spruce trees. These were often near the top so someone, usually the youngster (me) had to climb the tree with a saw to cut them off while those on the ground cleaned them with a hatchet. These would readily bend and make themselves into trap bows. If they were reluctant many had a hot water tank that you could build a fire under. A few minutes in that and they could be tied in a knot. Fishermen, including me, knit all their own "heads" or their wives did in some cases. Fishermen built traps pretty cheaply in those days. My first traps in the late 60's cost me about $1.00 apiece. Living this way was a necessity for the fishermen.
Every man that I grew up with, who became a lobsterman, started out in a small open boat 14 to 16 ft or so with an outboard motor. They usually started while students in school. Traps were hauled by hand but when you are young that is not a problem. These guys usually stuck to these boats for a while after getting out of school. Eventually they would buy a regular lobster boat, most often well used, and move on up. Many guys never had a "new" boats. New boats were kind of a luxury for some. Some of my friends bought boats that needed major rebuilding. They were all wood of course and some needed new timbers and new fastening and caulking and painting. It was not money intensive as it was "work intensive" as the owner supplied most of the labor.
Today it is another world. Every single you fisherman I have known in the past 15 years or so has gone into the banks to get brand new everything their hearts desire. They get brand new fiberglass boats that can cost $150,000 and up. They buy large diesel engines that will power their boat to winning a $15 trophy in the local lobster boat races. I knew a fellow that bought a new 600 hp diesel that was built for a Mack truck about 12 year ago to put in his fishing boat just to make it real fast. $60,000 on the hoof! No fisherman builds his own traps today. Instead they buy them from one of many commercial builders that have sprung up in recent years. It is not unususal for wire traps to run $50 apiece and some men have 800 or more. They buy great big styrofoam buoys that cost several dollars apiece. I think painting these is about the only shop work most would do today. I have often wanted to tell some of them that their grandfather's would roll over in thier graves if they saw the way the youngsters waste their time and money. Instead of building stuff themselves they pay ghastly inflated prices for someone else to provide the labor so that they can ahve more time running around town in their $40,000 4 whl drive pickup truck!
Worst is that most of them have bought all of this with great assistance from the banks. Many have loans for boats, loans for engine, loans for traps, loans for house, loans for truck and car and on and on. Is it any surprise that they are hurting? Many families are in so deep that they will never survive the looming financial debacle that we are witnessing.
The equipment needed to build wire traps is available for around $1000. Two or three guys could buy this and work together and build, cheaply, all the traps that they need. But virtually none of them do. Why? Building your own stuff was the way this business always worked.
I cannot figure it out, nor can I sympathize with many other than in a very general way for the communities as a whole. Between the heavy debt and the regulators lobster fishing in Maine as I have known it is nearly over and that is a shame.
I was a boy in Stonington in the 1950's and early 60's. Many of my friends were of fishing families. Though my dad was not one both of my uncles were. Fishing was a way of life in most coastal towns and it consisted of a number of different things not just lobsters. In the spring both of my uncles dug clams. Others set out trawls for hopefully a halibut now and then as they could bring a pretty good price. Later on fishermen set out their traps. Some years spring fishing was better than others but that was the nature of a natural resource. Incidentally all fishermen built their own lobster traps out of wood. The lobster dealers would supply trap stock during the winter on credit and the fishermen would work in their little shops building and repairing gear and painting buoys. I don't think there has ever been a better place to spend some time than in a fishermans shop in the winter. The work is pleasant and constant visitors and story telling livened up the day. I spent thousands of hours in a shop and never regretted a moment of it. Some fishermen would rig their boats for scallop fishing in the winter but that had good and bad years. In the summer some fishermen would go seining for herring for the factories. They would often hire many other fishermen to pull the nets. Lots of people made money in the sardine business. Some fishermen worked in the woods or on part time jobs in the winter. Not many were just full time lobster fishermen.
Most fishermen that I knew were pretty frugal, in fact you had to in those days as you had to pretty much make enough money in the good part of the year in order to survive the winter. My uncles, and me in my turn, used to go into the woods in the winter and look for long straight limbs from red spruce trees. These were often near the top so someone, usually the youngster (me) had to climb the tree with a saw to cut them off while those on the ground cleaned them with a hatchet. These would readily bend and make themselves into trap bows. If they were reluctant many had a hot water tank that you could build a fire under. A few minutes in that and they could be tied in a knot. Fishermen, including me, knit all their own "heads" or their wives did in some cases. Fishermen built traps pretty cheaply in those days. My first traps in the late 60's cost me about $1.00 apiece. Living this way was a necessity for the fishermen.
Every man that I grew up with, who became a lobsterman, started out in a small open boat 14 to 16 ft or so with an outboard motor. They usually started while students in school. Traps were hauled by hand but when you are young that is not a problem. These guys usually stuck to these boats for a while after getting out of school. Eventually they would buy a regular lobster boat, most often well used, and move on up. Many guys never had a "new" boats. New boats were kind of a luxury for some. Some of my friends bought boats that needed major rebuilding. They were all wood of course and some needed new timbers and new fastening and caulking and painting. It was not money intensive as it was "work intensive" as the owner supplied most of the labor.
Today it is another world. Every single you fisherman I have known in the past 15 years or so has gone into the banks to get brand new everything their hearts desire. They get brand new fiberglass boats that can cost $150,000 and up. They buy large diesel engines that will power their boat to winning a $15 trophy in the local lobster boat races. I knew a fellow that bought a new 600 hp diesel that was built for a Mack truck about 12 year ago to put in his fishing boat just to make it real fast. $60,000 on the hoof! No fisherman builds his own traps today. Instead they buy them from one of many commercial builders that have sprung up in recent years. It is not unususal for wire traps to run $50 apiece and some men have 800 or more. They buy great big styrofoam buoys that cost several dollars apiece. I think painting these is about the only shop work most would do today. I have often wanted to tell some of them that their grandfather's would roll over in thier graves if they saw the way the youngsters waste their time and money. Instead of building stuff themselves they pay ghastly inflated prices for someone else to provide the labor so that they can ahve more time running around town in their $40,000 4 whl drive pickup truck!
Worst is that most of them have bought all of this with great assistance from the banks. Many have loans for boats, loans for engine, loans for traps, loans for house, loans for truck and car and on and on. Is it any surprise that they are hurting? Many families are in so deep that they will never survive the looming financial debacle that we are witnessing.
The equipment needed to build wire traps is available for around $1000. Two or three guys could buy this and work together and build, cheaply, all the traps that they need. But virtually none of them do. Why? Building your own stuff was the way this business always worked.
I cannot figure it out, nor can I sympathize with many other than in a very general way for the communities as a whole. Between the heavy debt and the regulators lobster fishing in Maine as I have known it is nearly over and that is a shame.
Joined: 18 Apr 2005
Posts: 2310
Location: Here and There
Posts: 2310
Location: Here and There
skf, you're entirely welcome. Just operating from habit, I guess. Hey, Naran, where's Linda Greenlaw these days? Is she straightened out with the Canadian authorities yet? She could certainly offer some interesting commentary here regarding the fishing industry as well as other topics. 
Joined: 02 Sep 2008
Posts: 6
Location: Cambridge
Posts: 6
Location: Cambridge
I agree that there needs to be more fish talk on AMG. Interesting area for many reasons (economic, biological, etc.).
Interesting story on L Bean. Of course, she doesn't come to the industry without controversy. The controversy might be more interesting and more valuable. Many lobstermen and some state workers are very skeptical of some of L Bean's ideas. The MSC certification is particularly contentious for those who are paying attention. Certification involves an intrusive look at current industry practices. Whether they are good or bad is open to debate. Some in the industry, however, would like to keep their confidences about what goes on on the water.
Also these seafood certification programs have to be approached with some skepticism. The organizations that get these programs going are generally large environmental groups who have their own agendas that they are pushing through these lists of certified fish. Some seafood products make the list due more to environmental politics than actual biological considerations. It gets worse when animal rights folks try to advance their agendas too.
Interesting story on L Bean. Of course, she doesn't come to the industry without controversy. The controversy might be more interesting and more valuable. Many lobstermen and some state workers are very skeptical of some of L Bean's ideas. The MSC certification is particularly contentious for those who are paying attention. Certification involves an intrusive look at current industry practices. Whether they are good or bad is open to debate. Some in the industry, however, would like to keep their confidences about what goes on on the water.
Also these seafood certification programs have to be approached with some skepticism. The organizations that get these programs going are generally large environmental groups who have their own agendas that they are pushing through these lists of certified fish. Some seafood products make the list due more to environmental politics than actual biological considerations. It gets worse when animal rights folks try to advance their agendas too.
Joined: 10 Aug 1999
Posts: 35916
Location: Maine
Posts: 35916
Location: Maine
LobsterGuy -
Linda and I didn't talk at length about MSC certification. My impression is she's seeking it for business reasons - for Maine's lobster industry as a whole, as well as, for "Linda Bean's Perfect Maine." When she emphasizes in my article that Maine fisherman have been using sustainable practices since the 1930's, I believe that is her way of saying MSC certification ain't nothin' new! However, if the European market and the world's largest buyer of seafood are insisting on the certification - what are the options right now? Especially if the underlying idea is to keep the lobster industry vibrant into the future?
Linda Bean always wants very much to get Canada out of the Maine lobster industry. (That part of our conversation didn't work well in my article, so I left it out.) For example, Linda wonders why there are so few lobster processor plants in Maine. Knox County, she told me, produces 20 million pounds of Maine's lobsters. But there's nowhere in Knox County to process lobsters. If I understood her correctly, Canada processes many of Maine's lobsters. Linda asked me, "Why not a processor in Knox County?"
Thank you.
skf
Linda and I didn't talk at length about MSC certification. My impression is she's seeking it for business reasons - for Maine's lobster industry as a whole, as well as, for "Linda Bean's Perfect Maine." When she emphasizes in my article that Maine fisherman have been using sustainable practices since the 1930's, I believe that is her way of saying MSC certification ain't nothin' new! However, if the European market and the world's largest buyer of seafood are insisting on the certification - what are the options right now? Especially if the underlying idea is to keep the lobster industry vibrant into the future?
Linda Bean always wants very much to get Canada out of the Maine lobster industry. (That part of our conversation didn't work well in my article, so I left it out.) For example, Linda wonders why there are so few lobster processor plants in Maine. Knox County, she told me, produces 20 million pounds of Maine's lobsters. But there's nowhere in Knox County to process lobsters. If I understood her correctly, Canada processes many of Maine's lobsters. Linda asked me, "Why not a processor in Knox County?"
Thank you.
skf
Joined: 18 May 2004
Posts: 2413
Posts: 2413
Thanks for the timely post Mr. Editor. I was at the Portland Museum of Art with my family today, and saw Ms. Bean's company sponsoring a gift as part of a raffle section the museum has. This was the first I had heard of her involvement in the lobster industry. Now I know the rest of the story.
Joined: 18 Apr 2005
Posts: 2310
Location: Here and There
Posts: 2310
Location: Here and There
Hello, LobsterGuy. You're new to AMG and I welcome you.
I love your comment regarding the "environmental politics" involved with the fishing industry.The same holds true for forest industries and agriculture in Maine.
I love your comment regarding the "environmental politics" involved with the fishing industry.The same holds true for forest industries and agriculture in Maine.
Joined: 02 Sep 2008
Posts: 6
Location: Cambridge
Posts: 6
Location: Cambridge
SKF -
I think you are right - Linda is approaching this like a business and certification might make sense on that front (I don't think she has an enviro agenda, but I don't know her so what do I know?). In any event, some of her ideas are causing some anxiety for those who have been in the industry for a while. Maybe they are worried about competition - who knows.
I remembered something after I posted the original comment. Part of certification might be an evaluation of the carbon footprint involved in bringing a lobster to the table. I imagine the footprint won't be pretty (fuel used to catch bait and transport to lobsterman, fuel used to catch lobster, fuel used to ship lobster to end point). Given some people's skepticism of the whole carbon footprint idea - certification isn't a proposition free of controversy.
As far as the idea goes on Maine should be processing lobsters - that isn't really a new idea. I would be great to get Canada out of the Maine lobster biz. But the economics just aren't there - no surprise right. I imagine state policies are the biggest hurdle here. Whatever efficiencies would be created by processing lobsters right where they are landed are completely overshadowed by other economic losses that come from doing business in Maine. Maybe the Canadians are subsidizing their processing plants (like they subsidize softwood lumber, blueberries, and anything else resource-related) - that is unrelated to Maine's problems. In any event, I've heard that Canadian processors are sitting on a lot of unprocessed lobsters right now - I don't think the time is right to invest more in processing if it is already overcapitalized. Of course, the lobster biz moves pretty quickly - I don't think this glut will last forever.
BlueJay -
Thanks for the welcome to AMG. I don't know a ton about forestry and ag in Maine but it seems the resource related industries have had a hard go of it with the enviros. I think lobster has been pretty immune to the enviros because it has some political clout. Doing fine economically until this year, independent businesses, sympathetic/charismatic characters in the industry, Maine heritage, decent biological management. All this could go away. The industry is suffering indirectly with whale regulations (ESA stuff). The enviros haven't taken the bull by the horns and really went after the management/biological sustainability of the industry just yet....
I think you are right - Linda is approaching this like a business and certification might make sense on that front (I don't think she has an enviro agenda, but I don't know her so what do I know?). In any event, some of her ideas are causing some anxiety for those who have been in the industry for a while. Maybe they are worried about competition - who knows.
I remembered something after I posted the original comment. Part of certification might be an evaluation of the carbon footprint involved in bringing a lobster to the table. I imagine the footprint won't be pretty (fuel used to catch bait and transport to lobsterman, fuel used to catch lobster, fuel used to ship lobster to end point). Given some people's skepticism of the whole carbon footprint idea - certification isn't a proposition free of controversy.
As far as the idea goes on Maine should be processing lobsters - that isn't really a new idea. I would be great to get Canada out of the Maine lobster biz. But the economics just aren't there - no surprise right. I imagine state policies are the biggest hurdle here. Whatever efficiencies would be created by processing lobsters right where they are landed are completely overshadowed by other economic losses that come from doing business in Maine. Maybe the Canadians are subsidizing their processing plants (like they subsidize softwood lumber, blueberries, and anything else resource-related) - that is unrelated to Maine's problems. In any event, I've heard that Canadian processors are sitting on a lot of unprocessed lobsters right now - I don't think the time is right to invest more in processing if it is already overcapitalized. Of course, the lobster biz moves pretty quickly - I don't think this glut will last forever.
BlueJay -
Thanks for the welcome to AMG. I don't know a ton about forestry and ag in Maine but it seems the resource related industries have had a hard go of it with the enviros. I think lobster has been pretty immune to the enviros because it has some political clout. Doing fine economically until this year, independent businesses, sympathetic/charismatic characters in the industry, Maine heritage, decent biological management. All this could go away. The industry is suffering indirectly with whale regulations (ESA stuff). The enviros haven't taken the bull by the horns and really went after the management/biological sustainability of the industry just yet....
Joined: 06 Oct 2004
Posts: 23602
Location: Southern Maine
Posts: 23602
Location: Southern Maine
LobsterGuy - let me echo BlueJay's kind words, and welcome you to the AMG forum!
We need to hear from folks who are involved with Maine fisheries, and I appreciate your input and comments.
We need to hear from folks who are involved with Maine fisheries, and I appreciate your input and comments.