BRUNSWICK — The Maine Department of Marine Resources is moving forward with plans to slash the lucrative glass eel catch, with one more public hearing before rules are drafted to cut the fishery by up to 40 percent.
Industry officials supported quotas based on historical catch during a public hearing last week in Augusta. Another hearing will be held Jan. 2, 2014, in Brewer.
Fishermen are frustrated by the cuts, which will be in place when the season opens in March.
“We’re being led down the road by bad science. It’s a data-poor species, so the scientists would rather err on the side of caution. That’s because they get paid and we don’t,” said Jeffrey Pierce, of Dresden, leader of the Maine Elver Fishermen’s Association.
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