Lobster Licenses Key to Survival of Maine's Year-Round Islands

By Sandra Dinsmore, for the Working Waterfront January 2009 Online Exclusive.

"The Maine islands that depend on lobster fishing to maintain their year round populations will slowly die if they continue to lose lobster licenses," said Swan's Island native Sonny Sprague.

Swan's, the Cranberries, Frenchboro, and the other islands that lie in Lobster Zone B, a zone with closed entry, require five fishermen to retire their licenses before one on the waiting list can get his or hers, despite applicants having gone through the state's apprentice program and fulfilling all its requirements. This rule has created a problem that may not have been considered when the lobster zones were created.

Lobstering is of paramount importance as a source of income to islanders. According to Maine's Department of Marine Resources (DMR), 18 percent of islanders hold lobster licenses compared to only 1 percent of mainlanders. On Matinicus and Frenchboro, 60 to 70 percent of the island population holds lobster licenses, according to the Island Institute's 2009 Island Indicators report.

For the complete article click on the link above, and to view the 2009 Island Indicators report click here.