The Commissioner of the Department of Marine Resources says keeping an estimated 300 people on the waiting list is bad for the industry, and wants to make the process move faster. For license holders in limited entry fisheries (lobster, urchins, scallops, sea cucumbers, elvers), if you intend to retain your license in 2021, you must renew your 2020 license by December 31, 2020. To help spread the word and get a sense of the industrys mood, Tuell launched an online Facebook poll to test support for a 10-year cap on lobster license waits. Children who finish their apprenticeships before they turn 18 can get a license when theyre 17, a provision aimed at preserving the tradition in lobster-fishing families. He had once held a lobsterlicense, butgave it up when he went to school. There are few things in Maine as coveted as a lobster fishing license, and a proposal to bring dozens of people off the states license waiting list has fishermen in the state ready for a debate. Some state lawmakers want to help people like Masterson who have been languishing on the apprentice waitlist for years. Below are several things that you should be aware of prior to renewing/applying for your licenses or applying for tags. When he lost hissternman, Masterson filled in. Federal halibut tags will be issued by DMR this year. I love my jobnowbut I miss at least half of everything that goes on at home. Mainers on lobster license waiting lists must return form - WMTW But students who complete their apprenticeship before they turn 20, or 23 if they are in college, can bypass the list altogether. If you would like to customise your choices, click 'Manage privacy settings'. David Cousens told lawmakers the current system is not perfect, but this bill does not fix its problems. See Offers. She recalls stories of 19-year waits, veterans who lost their lobstering licenses while serving overseas in the military and must now wait years to get anotherone, andwait-listers who became fathers whose sons will get their lobster licenses before their dads. So you want to be a lobsterman - Portland Press Herald The people not in the business dont understand. The Commissioner of the Department of Marine Resources says keeping . 2023, Hearst Television Inc. on behalf of WMTW-TV. Long waits prompt Maine lobster licensing review - Yahoo News Beede, 50, says the state's 15-year-old licensing system needs an overhaul to give newcomers like him a fair shot at getting a license to fish their own traps in Maine's lobster-rich waters. Lobster license changes up for debate in Maine State House. Online Applications | Paper Applications | Landings Reports | Lobster Tags and Conservation Areas | Halibut Tags | Urchin Licenses | Elver Dealers, Online License Applications (LEEDS): https://maine-dmr-leeds-prod.pegacloud.com/. Lobstermen in Maine ready for debate over license wait list That would allow them to participate aboard the boat, which some in the fishery say has long been standard practice anyway. If you wait too long after the 6 week period, we can no longer track them. The Marine Resources Committee member said he has friends and family that are hurt by the long waits, but others who did their time on the waitlist and worry that essentially opening the gates now would trigger trap wars, make an already tight bait market worse and could make it even more likely that federal regulators tasked with protecting right whales would put harsh restrictions on the industry.