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Fisherman Spotlight
? ? ?Growing up in Freedom, NH, Anna Conathan dreamed of being an actor and moving to Hollywood. After a decade living and working as an actress, studio screenwriter, and comic in Los Angeles (the ?other LA?) her unlikely journey to the stern of a lobster boat began when her husband, Mike, began studying marine affairs at the University of Rhode Island. While working in Washington, DC, Mike served as lead staffer supporting Senator Olympia Snowe on the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries and Coast Guard,?which brought him to Maine with great regularity. Anna tagged along and fell in love with Maine?s culture as well as the grit and principle held by members of Maine?s fishing industry.?
? ? ?As a writer, Anna became interested in the complexity of the fishing industry and came up with an idea for a romantic comedy that took place in a lobstering community on a small island in Maine. She interviewed and rode along with fishermen from Matinicus, Harpswell, and Yarmouth to learn more about the culture, history, and science behind the lobster fishery. The most surprising thing she learned in her research was how much she loved fishing, or really how much more?she loved fishing than sitting at her desk writing.?
? ? ?In 2013 the Conathans moved to Maine from Washington, DC and Anna decided now was the time to give sterning a try. She reached out to Elliott Thomas, the fisherman she had ridden along with out of Yarmouth and asked him to give her a shot. ?Elliott was brave and kind enough to take on the greenest of green horns,? Conathan reports, ?I was a 41-year-old woman with no experience whose number one boss was a five year old. He couldn?t have been more awesome.??
? ? ?In the three summers she worked for Thomas, he taught her to be a sternman and educated her on how the fishery has remained sustainable. Lobstering has taught Anna not to get hung up on roadblocks or negative experiences in life and keep pressing forward, as well as staying in an improvisational mindset and to be ready for anything. On her first day sterning, Thomas got caught up in the lines and she had to cut him free. Rather than dwell on the incident, they rehauled the trawl and then her captain handed her a length of rope and told her to start practicing cutting because, although she had just saved his life, she was ?really slow about it.???
Anna loves the calmness and connection to nature that she feels when working on the water. "As an ADHD kid, it has done wonders for my brain," Conathan shared. She particularly enjoys how every day on the water is different and challenging. Noticing her joy and aptitude for fishing, Elliot convinced her to join the apprentice program and she has been working towards completing that goal ever since. These days, she?s about 600 hours in and fishes 3 days a week with captain Jerry Grondin out of Falmouth. Anna loves the degree of knowledge and humor that?
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experienced? lobstermen bring to work every day, as well as the patience and confidence they have instilled in her. She certainly did not expect to end up working as a lobster apprentice, but she is so happy in the job. Anna has the utmost respect for the industry and its sustainability and is honored to be part of Maine?s lobstering community.
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Photo Credit: Anna Conathan
American Eel Life Cycle Study
The Maine Department of Marine Resources is required by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) to conduct a life cycle study of the American eel (Anguilla rostrata) as Maine has a commercial glass eel fishery.? The study monitors each life stage (glass, yellow, and silver) using various methods in West Harbor Pond. The glass eel survey began in 2001, while the surveys for the yellow and silver eel stages began in 2018.
Glass eels are collected using modified Irish elver ramps during their spring migration. Collected glass eels are separated from elvers, enumerated, and released into the pond.? The number of glass eels caught per year has varied, with 2022 resulting in the largest catch since the study began. Yellow eels are collected using baited eel pots.?
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All yellow eels are measured for length and weight and tagged with a PIT tag before release. Over 1,100 yellow eels have been tagged.? Silver eels are collected using a fyke net in the fall as they leave the pond on their spawning migration to the Sargasso Sea.
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All silver eels are counted and scanned for PIT tags, and subsamples are measured for length and weight.? The number of silver eels captured varies from year-to-year.? Maine DMR also collects eel samples for otolith aging, sex determination, and presence of the swim bladder parasite.
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Author: Jason Bartlett, DMR Sea Run Fisheries Scientist
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Maine State Aquarium Updates
? ? The Maine State Aquarium is excited to share that we are opening this year! We will open June 26 during the Windjammer Festival, and then through Labor Day. Our hours are Wednesdays ? Sundays, 10am?4pm. Follow us on social media or the DMR website for more opening announcements.
? ? Aquarium renovations are on-going, with tanks under fabrication and new exhibits arriving. For example, the two 1,300-gallon ecosystem tanks have been fabricated especially for the Aquarium, with theming to look like the rocky coast around Boothbay and Burnt Island. Cemrock Landscape, Inc. provides custom fiberglass tank fabrication with naturalistic tank inserts for zoos and aquariums across the country. Aquatic Art Technologies is fabricating tanks that represent the working Boothbay Harbor waterfront. These tanks will highlight the unique and dynamic characteristics of the Gulf of Maine, the ways in which animals and plants interact with each other and their environment. We live in a special?
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place, and we want Aquarium visitors to experience firsthand what makes it so.? New interactive exhibits by Perch Design Studio will highlight the research the Dept. of Marine Resources conducts to protect and manage Gulf of Maine resources for our communities and vital industries. Chris Sullivan Creative Consulting has led our multi-faceted design plan over the past year.
? ? We?re excited to share o-fish-al updates here and online from now until our June opening. Next update ? arrival of the new tanks later this month!
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Author: Dottie Yunger, DMR Education Division Director
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New Federal Reporting Guidelines
Starting on April 1st, NOAA Fisheries implemented electronic Vessel Trip Reporting (eVTR), including five additional lobster-specific data elements, for all Federal lobster permit holders using a GARFO approved eVTR application. Vessel operators are able to submit their catch reports on multiple reporting platforms.
Do You Have a Federal Lobster Permit?
Federal lobster permit holders currently using Maine LEEDS to report needed to switch to a federal reporting option by April 1, 2024. Maine LEEDS only submits reports to the State, not to the Feds.
Federal Reporting Options for Lobster
Below are the three available electronic reporting options for federal harvesters. You can reference the table below to see what option fits best for you.
 *Fed permit holders using FOL or eTrips will also need to submit Did Not Fish reports in Maine LEEDS to satisfy state reporting obligations when applicable.
New Reporting Fields for Federal Lobster Harvesters
While filing your trip reports, it is likely that you have seen the new data elements that were implemented after April 1. If you have specific questions, definitions of the fields can be can be found here on pages 19-21.?
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Landings Program Highlights
Need Help with Electronic Reporting?
Landings Program staff are available to assist Monday-Friday from 8:30am-4:00pm by phone: (207) 633-9414, or by email: [email protected]. If you would like in-person assistance, please contact us first to schedule an appointment date & time.
When Are My Landings Reports Due??
- ELVER ? trip level reports (paper OR electronic) are due by the 10th of each month. A Did Not Fish report is required if no fishing trips occurred during the month.?
- LOBSTER ? trip level reports are due electronically by the 10th of each month. A Did Not Fish report is required if no fishing trips occurred during the month.
Electronic Reporting Updates:? Maine LEEDS - You are now able to set up Landings Preferences by fishery (see manual below for instructions). VESL App - As of April 1st, there are new reporting fields for Federal lobster permit holders, as required by NOAA Fisheries. Please view the PDF manual listed below for updated instructions.
Have Suggestions for Future Landings Program Newsletter Content?
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Click the links below to see detailed instructions & additional reporting tips: |
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