BANGOR DAILY NEWS • October 3, 2022
Amid looming environmental and legal threats to the Maine lobster industry, Alexa Dayton, the new executive director of the Maine Center for Coastal Fisheries in Stonington, said her vision for the future is one of thriving and climate-resilient communities. Dayton: “The herring fishery is definitely under duress. We are seeing declines, and herring is the base, a forage species, that underlies the food chain. Herring is also an important bait fish for other species….There’s a great amount of fear for [lobstermen’s] livelihoods and their families. There’s also real anger at the regulatory moves that may disproportionately hit Maine and Stonington….Costs are rising through gear change. The market demand is weakening, so you’re not selling as much, and fuel, ice and bait prices have gone up. When you put all that together, is it still worth fishing?“