BATH

Maine Department of Marine Resources Commissioner Patrick Keliher recalled it was last summer when his phone started ringing.

Lobster dealers who sell to Canadian processors wanted him to shut down the fishery because they saw a glut coming.

“My answer was, “I can’t do anything about it’,” he said Wednesday.

Four weeks and 5 million pounds of lobster later, Maine’s lobster industry was caught in a downward spiral. An early excess supply of softshell lobsters depressed prices and caused Canada — where most Maine lobster is processed — to block Maine imports.

The conversation turned to, “You’ve got to do something to slow this down,” said Keliher, who mentioned options including seasonal closures, gear changes, trap reductions and other measures to slow catches, improve quality and increase profitability.

But lobstermen have told Keliher they’d find ways around any measures to maintain catch volumes.

“Frankly, there is no consensus about what to do in this industry,” Keliher said.

Keliher addressed more than 100 people Wednesday at the Maine Maritime Museum in one of a series of statewide public forums regarding the future of the state’s lobster industry.

He said he will not propose legislation and emphasized, “I’m not here to impact your landings at all.”

Asking what his department could do to help, one of the first comments was, “Fix the economy!” Another suggested that, if gas prices were lower, “people will eat more lobster.”

Peter Roberts, 68, of Phippsburg, suggested taking the Sunday ban off and letting those with traps fish seven days a week.

Roberts, who said he has fished lobster for more than 50 years, told Keliher the industry is headed in the wrong direction and that last summer’s glut was from “too much gear in the waters.”

Long-term strategies for the lobster industry include preparing for a resource decline and having a licensing system that could respond to such a decline, Keliher said.

He talked about a three-tier licensing concept in an effort to let additional lobstermen into the fishery without increasing traps. He acknowledged the waiting list for lobstering licenses has more than 300 names statewide.

Lobstermen told Keliher that young people who want to fish cannot obtain licenses. Others asked why they can’t just pass their license to their child.

One man said he doesn’t think people realize the average age of the lobstermen, noting “We’re no spring chickens,” to which Keliher said the fishing industry has skipped a generation.

Lobstermen indicated warmer waters are making lobsters grow faster, which has boosted supply. Weak demand and competition against Canadaian fisheries are key economic issues.

Keliher described a bill submitted to the Legislature that would create a $3 million marketing fund, collected through license surcharges over three years, for a fiveyear marketing effort. His department hasn’t taken a stance on the bill, he said.

Many food commodities benefit from such generic marketing, Keliher said, and it could help expand the Maine lobster market.

“The question here is, do you think we should do something, or do you think we should do nothing?” Keliher asked.

An informal vote at the end of the meeting indicated nearly unanimous support for some form of marketing — with only one hand up in opposition — particularly of softshell lobsters. Some voiced concern about any surcharge that would fund it.

Brett Gilliam, a Phippsburg lobsterman, said any business making a profit should invest in advertising.

Though he feels the people selling the lobster meat should be doing the marketing, “they’re not.”

“We’ve got to get our eyes off of America because the country is on its way out. We’ve got to go over to China, India, Brazil — growing economies — and try to sell lobster or we’re not going to get anywhere,” Gilliam said.

Several more forums on the state’s lobster industry are scheduled, including today in Gouldsboro and Machias. For a full schedule, visit www.maine.gov/dmr/LobsterIndustry.htm.

dmoore@timesrecord.com