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Dear Shellfish Committees and Town Clerks:
The Shellfish Management Program here in DMR would like to inform all involved with the management and enforcement of shellfish within their respective towns that we are attempting to maintain as many services and operations as possible during the global COVID-19 pandemic. However, the Area Biologists will not be physically attending any shellfish committee meetings or participating in conservation events with groups of people. This is due to the recommendations of the Maine CDC for COVID-19 and social distancing to lessen the potential spread of this virus. All the Area Biologists are working remotely and can be contacted by email or their cell phones.
Also, some town offices are closing to public access and wondering how to sell their shellfish licenses. The sale of these licenses and possible extension of the present licenses is at the discretion of the town, shellfish committee and local shellfish warden. We do ask if you delay the sales date of your shellfish licenses that you contact your Area Biologist with the relevant details. If the delay of license sales occurs the town will be required to re-advertise the new date and application details as required by Statute Law Title 12 Chapter 623 §6671 paragraph 3-C. From a state perspective, harvesters can continue to work with just a state shellfish license and towns should not consider their possible inability to issue licenses as an inadvertent closure.
The completed Annual Municipal Shellfish Management Review Report for the year 2019 is due to us on April 1 if a town will struggle to meet this deadline due to current circumstances please contact your Area Biologist to work out an extension. Reports can be mailed to the Shellfish Program Coordinator; PO Box 8, West Boothbay Harbor, ME 04575-0008, or email; DMRPublicHealthDiv@maine.gov. Incomplete reports will be returned.
If there are questions concerning these issues and/or requirements, please contact me, your Area Biologist or the Shellfish Program Coordinator.
Sincerely,
Denis-Marc Nault
Supervisor, Shellfish Management Program
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