For details regarding the Maine Department of Marine Resources September 2020 trap gear marking requirements, please click here.
Elver Lottery to Allow New Entrants into Maine’s Lucrative Elver Fishery
Nine Maine residents will soon have a chance to join the State’s lucrative elver fishery.
The Department of Marine Resources (DMR) will hold a lottery starting at noon on Thursday, January 16, for the right to apply for an elver license. The lottery will be available through 4:30 p.m. on Friday, February 21, providing lottery winners the chance to apply for a license prior to the upcoming season, which starts Sunday, March 22, and runs through Sunday, June 7.
The lottery, authorized by the Legislature in 2017, is available to Maine residents who are at least 15 years of age by the start of the 2020 season and who are eligible to purchase an elver license in 2020 because they have not had their right to obtain an elver license suspended.
At the time the lottery was established, the Legislature also set a cap of 425 State-issued licenses. The nine available licenses are the result of licenses that were not renewed in 2018 and 2019.
Each new license holder will receive a minimum of four pounds of quota, which is made available from individual quota associated with licenses that were not renewed.
Individuals can enter the lottery online here. The Department is not accepting applications sent by mail; however, applicants may come to the DMR offices in Augusta to complete the application on paper.
DMR offices will be closed Monday, February 17, in observance of Presidents' Day.
Payment for anyone wishing to submit paper applications at DMR offices must be made with check, cash, or money order. Payment for online applications must be made with a credit card or a debit card.
By law, each individual will be allowed to submit up to five applications at a cost of $35 per application. Those who submit applications online will incur an additional processing fee of $2 per application. $25 of the application fee will be deposited in the Eel and Elver Management Fund, which is used to research and manage the State's eel and elver resources, to enforce laws related to eels and elvers, and to cover the costs associated with determining eligibility for elver fishing licenses. By law, $10 is provided to the Department to fund Department costs associated with administering the lottery.
Anyone with questions about the lottery can contact the Maine Department of Marine Resources at (207) 624-6550, option 2.
A Busy Week Ahead....
Today is a session day. While the calendar is quite....light....the Legislature's Caucus on Aging has invited Jackson Lab in to share what they are doing for Alzheimer's and dementia research for our monthly meeting. Following that, I scoot over to Marine Resources for a briefing on aquaculture licensing, a couple public hearings -- including one on a bill to create a commercial menhaden (pogie) license -- a work session (and hopefully vote) on a bill to allow disabled veterans (50% or greater) to have a NONCOMMERCIAL lobster/crab, scallop licenses for free, followed in the evening by Gov. Mills' State of the State address.
Wednesday, I start bright and early with an appearance on the George Hale/Ric Tyler Show, which will recap the State of the State and preview findings of the new report recommending pay increases for the Governor, legislators, and judges. Our county delegation will also be meeting with Jeff Currier of the Maine forest rangers to get an update on the work they do.
Thursday is another session day, so it won't take much for everything to go sideways, especially as I have to give testimony on a bill to make the training connected with arming our forest rangers more cost-effective. On Friday, State and Local meets again to quiz the State Compensation Commission on the specifics of its proposed pay increase. I will also finish work on a bill clarifying what constitutes an ancient burying ground...then an afternoon ride back to Washington County.
All in all, another quiet week in Augusta awaits....
Washington Academy -- Good Shepherd Food Table
