Officers and Board                                                                                   Milton Chute
Chair-Leo Murray                                                                                     Bill Daye
Vice Chair-Jeff Smith                                                                                Mike McConnell
Secretary-Julie K. Hodgkins                                                                   Bruce McInnis
Treasurer-Randy Newcomb                                                                    David Pottle
                                                                                                                     Randy Wright

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Leo Murray 207 733-4782

AUGUST 17, 2000
 
 

COBSCOOK BAY - - Fishermen from the Cobscook Bay area in Washington County, Maine have organized the Cobscook Bay Fishermen’s Association. The purpose of the Association is the conservation, enhancement, and sustainable use of the marine resources of Cobscook Bay. This Association differs from some other fisheries organizations in that it represents all gear types, all targeted species, and membership is open to all commercial license holders who live in the Cobscook Bay communities, including clam harvesters, scallop and urchin draggers and divers, and lobstermen.

Formation of the Association began at a Cobscook Fisheries Forum organized last February by the Cobscook Bay Resource Center, where fishermen agreed on the need for a broad based fisheries organization. Legislators, scientists, DMR representatives and members of the Stonington Fisheries Alliance all encouraged Cobscook area fishermen to organize to ensure the health of their fisheries. A series of informal "kitchen table" meetings and two public informational meetings led to the election in May of a Board of Directors and officers. Officers elected were Chair, Leo Murray of Lubec; Vice-Chair, Jeff Smith of Eastport; Secretary, Julie Keene Hodgkins of Trescott; and Treasurer, Randy Newcomb of Perry. Elected as at-large board members were Milton Chute, Bill Daye, and Mike McConnell of Lubec, Bruce McInnis of Eastport, and David Pottle of Perry. Approximately 70 people attended the meetings leading up to the elections. Elected to the Board since May is Randy Wright, of Lubec.

Leo Murray observed, "Everyone from around the Bay has a common interest in keeping our fisheries going. We need to keep our resources here if we can. We can’t exclude others, but we need to try to protect the resource or in ten years we won’t have anything. I’d like to keep fishing and I’d like to see my kids fish."

The Association is focusing initially on three issue areas: scallops, urchins, and aquaculture. The Association is working to develop a conservation plan for scallops in Cobscook Bay to submit to the next session of the Legislature. Building on last spring’s urchin reseeding project, the Association intends to work with scientists and the DMR to develop an effective and measurable urchin reseeding experiment for next year. In addition, the Association intends to work on the relationship between wild harvest fisheries and aquaculture in the Bay.

The newly elected board was charged with the tasks of writing job descriptions for officers, drafting bylaws, establishing fair dues and membership requirements, setting a predictable meeting schedule, and organizing committees. Meetings are held the first and third Thursdays of each month, the first meeting each month being a general membership meeting and the second being a board meeting. Board meetings are held at the Edmunds Consolidated School while general membership meetings are held in Eastport one month and in Lubec the next. Bylaws were adopted at a meeting in Eastport on July 6^th.

To be eligible for membership in the Association, a person must reside in one of the following communities: Lubec, Trescott, Whiting, Edmunds, Dennysville, Pembroke, Perry, Pleasant Point, Eastport, Robbinston, or Calais. In addition, the applicant must hold a current and valid commercial marine resource harvesting license from the State of Maine or work as crew on a vessel owned by an Association member and be sponsored for membership by that member/licenseholder. No member can sponsor more than two crew members in the Association. An eligible person may become a voting member by filling out a membership application, showing their commercial license and paying $25 annual dues, which are good until January, 2001.

For further information contact: Leo Murray, Route 1 Box 6160, Lubec, Maine 04652 733-4782 or visit the Association’s page on the Cobscook Bay Resource Center website at: www.cobscook.org
 
 

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