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December 1st, 2025 | EDITION #8 | 207-633-9414 | [email protected]

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Industry Spotlight

  While many flee the cold Maine winter for warmer winds and tropical beaches, a select few dawn their diving gear and jump into the frigid waters in search of green sea urchins. Diving for urchins is more than just a polar plunge for the participants. For many tenders and harvesters, urchin diving and the Maine seafood industry are in their blood. Diver Jim Koehling and tender Hazel Herrick are two such individuals. Both are third generation commercial harvesters and have been harvesting urchins together for the majority of their adult lives. They have seen the urchin industry, Casco Bay, and the working waterfront change over time, and both are committed to ensuring its future.

   The primary change Jim and Hazel have witnessed in the urchin industry has been an increased difficulty finding urchins. In their careers, Jim and Hazel have fished in Casco Bay and further north near Rockland. Where urchins were once common in Casco Bay, they have become less common and are much smaller when found. Where the expectation was once to harvest a full possession limit further north, now it is no longer certain. Like many, Hazel and Jim have seen the costs associated with being a commercial harvester increase exponentially and outpace the market price for their product. Fuel, dive gear, and filling the dive tanks with oxygen are among the slue of costs associated with diving for urchins. With higher costs, an ageing fleet, and growing difficulty in reaching the daily possession limit, effort in this fishery has been declining.

green sea urchin with roe exposed

  To combat the declining effort, proposals to increase the number of licenses have been put forward. However, these proposals have some harvesters concerned. Jim and Hazel both expressed concerns regarding more harvesters diving for a limited population of urchins. They believe an increased number of active licenses may create a situation where both harvesters and the urchin population are negatively impacted. 



tote of green sea urchin on boat

 Jim and Hazel expressed the need for institutional knowledge to be successful in the urchin fishery. Like others, they want to see the heritage, tradition, and culture of a working waterfront continue, but also believe the devil is in the details. Jim and Hazel would like to see ageing harvesters be able to pass their urchin license on to family members who wish to fish. They felt this would help maintain effort and allow for the institutional knowledge transfer needed to ensure success of the fishery.

green sea urchin roe

   Like many harvesters, Jim and Hazel’s concerns come from a commitment to a future where the working waterfront remains common in Maine communities and does not become a relic like it has become in some states further south. Jim and Hazel have shown this commitment by ensuring commercial access in the deed of their property on Casco Bay and through working on town committees regarding commercial fishing access. For Jim and Hazel, safeguarding Maine’s working waterfront is not just about urchins. It’s about protecting a way of life. Through their dedication, Jim and Hazel embody the enduring spirit of Maine’s coastal heritage. As long as harvesters continue to dive beneath Maine’s icy waters, the urchin fishery will continue to have its place in Maine’s ever important seafood industry.

 






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*Landings Reporting Information*

* Sea** Urchin Reporting*

* *_Timeline:_ *"Traditional Harvest - "Trip level reports must be submitted monthly by the 10th of month. "Flexible Harvest - "Daily trip level reports must be submitted electronically in LEEDS or VESL. Harvesters should choose "Carred" as the Catch Source and report the intended dealer. If the dealer changes, the trip report will require an edit.
* *Negative/Did Not Fish Reports: *If you did not fish for sea urchin during a month that the fishery was open, you must submit a “negative” / “did not fish” report.
* *Reporting Tips:* *Set Time *refers to the *average *length of a single tow or dive. *Disposition* should *always *be "Sold to Dealer"
* *NFC Cards:* The card you received replaces last year's FOB and should be *KEPT* for future fishing seasons. Harvesters *will not* be sent a new card each year.
* *QR Code:* If you use the VESL app, you can create a QR Code to use for dealer transactions (instead of the card). Instructions for creating a QR Code can be found here [ [link removed] ]. 
* Sea Urchin regulations are described in the Maine DMR Regulations Chapter 26. [ [link removed] ] 

 

*Scallop Repo_rting_*

* *_Timeline:_ *Trip level reports must be submitted electronically in LEEDS, VESL, or NOAA FishOnline (federal permit holders) by 11:59PM Sunday for any landings occurring from Monday 12:01AM – Sunday 11:59PM. 
* *Negative/Did Not Fish Reports:* If you did not fish for scallops during a week that the fishery was open, you must submit a “negative” / “did not fish” report. If you fished under another fishery during that week, you must still file a negative report for scallop.
* *In-season Closures: *If the local area/zone that you typically fish closes, but the overall fishery is still open *you must still file a report for that week.*
* *VESL Reporting: *Select *SEA scallop *not *BAY scallop* for all scallop reports. *Set Time *refers to the *average *length of a single tow or dive.
* Scallop regulations are described in the Maine DMR Regulations Chapter 11. [ [link removed] ]





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Lobster Molting Study

woman holding lobster

 Since April, the DMR docks have been home to up to 40 lobsters at a time living in spacious wire mesh enclosures. They are part of a collaborative study between the ME DMR and the University of Maine that aims to develop a better understanding of growth in the American lobster ("Homarus americanus"). The study is led by DMR’s Lobster Research Biologist, Dr. Heather Glon, and University of Maine Assistant Professor, Dr. Amalia Harrington. The hands-on work of selecting and caring for these lobsters has been carried out jointly by DMR contractors and Harrington’s PhD student, Emma Dullaert, and has welcomed helping hands from other DMR employees and other University of Maine students.



tagged lobster

A lobster only grows by molting. The molting process is defined by how much it grows each molt (the molt increment) and how often it molts (the molt interval). Over the last two years, we have been collecting and holding lobsters to update molt increment data for lobsters above minimum size. This year, we added another piece by collaborating with UMaine to better understand molt interval and the timing of molting throughout the year. We are also testing new ways to tell whether a lobster is getting ready to molt.



  Traditional indicators include checking shell color or feeling for soft spots in the shell. In the lab, we can also cut off a pleopod (swimmeret) to look at under a microscope and see how much the new shell is pulling away from the old one. But molting is controlled by changes in hormones, which can be measured from the lobster’s hemolymph, similar to our blood. This gives us a chance to explore a method that is less destructive and may help us predict if, and when, a lobster will molt based on hormone levels. Another promising idea is using the color of the hemolymph as a molting indicator, similar to recent work on green crabs at the Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve.

woman pulling lobster trap

  We collected lobsters this summer during DMR’s ventless trap and sea sampling programs, and we also sorted through crates of lobsters at Ready Seafood and Bold Coast Seafood to find ones likely to molt this year. We measured each lobster, assessed external characteristics, and drew a hemolymph sample with a needle. We kept the lobsters we thought would molt within about two months in our enclosures, which were sunk off the DMR docks. We monitored them daily and hauled the enclosures out by hand to feed them three times a week. Each week, we took additional hemolymph samples to track changes in hormones and hemolymph color leading up to molting. After a lobster molted, we took final measurements to see how much it grew and then released it. This winter, the hemolymph samples will go to the US Department of Agriculture’s Orono lab for analysis. The project is still ongoing, but so far we have collected over 2,000 hemolymph samples from more than 100 lobsters that molted this summer. This phase of the project is expected to wrap up by the end of November. Next year, we plan to put the hormone method to the test in the field. Stay tuned for the results!





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General Info

*"Need Assistance from the Landings Program?"*

Landings Program staff are available by phone: (207) 633-9414, or by email: [email protected] Monday-Friday from 8:30am-4:00pm

*Appointments for in-person office assistance need to be scheduled with the Landings Program in advance*. Walk-ins are not accepted at this time.

To schedule an in-person appointment, please contact Landings at

(207) 633-9414

for a date & time.

The Landings Program office is located at:

"194 McKown Point Rd, West Boothbay Harbor, ME 04575."

 

"*
Need Assistance from the Licensing Dept?*"

Licensing staff are available by phone:
(207) 624-6550 option 2, or by email: [email protected] Monday-Friday from 8:30am-4:00pm. Harvesters *can visit the Licensing Dept. for
in-person help Monday, Tuesday, or Thursday.* Wednesday & Fridays are closed for in-person help; however, you can call or leave license applications in the drop-box outside. The Licensing Dept. office is located in the
"Marquardt Building at:
32 Blossom Ln, Augusta, ME 04330."

 

 

*"Do you need to submit a request for Landings data?"*

If you need access to landings data that has been submitted to the DMR for yourself, your business, or for research purposes you will need to complete this Landings Data Request Form [ [link removed] ] and follow the instructions for submitting a notarized data release form.

 

If you report in VESL, you can click here [ [link removed] ] to view how to download a file of all VESL reports submitted. 

 

If you report in LEEDS, you can click here [ [link removed] ] to view how to download a file of all LEEDS reports submitted.

 

 






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Landings Program Updates

_License Renewal is Here!_

* With the new year just a month away, please be sure that you are up to date on your landings reports "prior" to renewing your fishing license(s) for 2026. You will not be able to renew your license(s) if you have missing landings reports.
* To see if you are compliant, log in to Maine LEEDS [ [link removed]*/!STANDARD ] and select “View Reporting Compliance Status.” Instructions on how to view your reporting compliance status and report landings in LEEDS can be found here [ [link removed] ]. User manuals for reporting landings in VESL can be found here [ [link removed] ].
* *VESL users – *your compliance status is still located in Maine LEEDS. The “Compliance Summary” located on the “Create Did Not Fish” page in VESL "*does *""*not*" reflect your compliance. Please log in to Maine LEEDS [ [link removed] ] to view your compliance status. Please contact the Landings Program with any questions.

 

_Do you have pending VESL reports or VESL reports with Errors?_

* To determine if you have pending VESL reports, follow these steps [ [link removed] ] and look for any reports that say "PENDING".
* Click on the pending reports and try to submit them.

pending reports

* Reports with error messages will display a red "SHOW ERRORS" bar. Clicking this bar will tell you what section of the report the error is located in.

VESL Error Warning

* You can click into the applicable section "(Trip Details, Fishing Effort, Species Details, Offload)" and a more specific message will appear, telling you exactly what needs to be fixed on your report. 

VESL errors

* Once you make the correction, you will Save and Submit your report. If you have trouble resolving an error, please contact the Landings Program.

 

*_Do you have a new vessel?_*


* If you have acquired a new boat or obtained a new federal permit, please call Licensing (207-624-6550, option 2) to ensure the boat/permit is associated with your licenses.
* If you use VESL to report your landings, please contact the Landings Program to update your boat in the app.

 

*_Do you have a new email or phone number?_*


* If you have a new email or phone number, please log into Maine LEEDS [ [link removed]*/!STANDARD ] and click on "Update My Contact Info". You'll be able to update your email and/or phone number and submit your changes.
* If you need assistance with updating your contact information, please contact the Landings Program.





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The Importance of the Four-Inch legal Size for Scallops

  Four inches is more than just a regulation; it reflects scallop biology. The four-inch shell size limit was established to maximize growth and spawning.  Scallops grow quickly as juveniles (about one inch a year).  Around age 3 (or 3 inches), they start shifting energy into reproduction and the growth of the shell slows down.  Scallops only produce a few offspring in their first year of spawning, but the number of eggs they produce increases exponentially with shell size. For example, a four-inch scallop produces about 100,000 eggs per year, while a five-inch scallop produces about 100 million eggs per year.  That is one thousand times more eggs than a four-inch scallop!  If it is living in a good habitat, then the scallop will continue to produce more and more eggs as it gets older.

tagged scallop

Maine scallops will live, continuing to spawn, for about 20 years, which is 15 years past the legal harvest size.  The shell growth of adult scallops is location-dependent, controlled largely by temperature and food supply.  The DMR scallop program is continuing to collect information on shell growth throughout the state by tagging and releasing scallops. We ask fleet members to return the tagged shells (left photo), including where and when they caught the scallop, to the DMR.  If you see an orange tag, please save the shells with the tag as well as the date and location that you found it.  The shells and information can be returned to the DMR scallop biologist: Carl Huntsberger (207-350-6004), local marine patrol, or the Maine Center for Coastal Fisheries.  Each person that returns a tagged shell with the requested information will receive a free hat and be entered to win a $100 cash prize. 

  Don’t forget—legal-sized scallops have larger meats! In addition to supporting more eggs, the energy saved from slower shell growth goes toward larger abductor muscles.  The average weight of meat from a four-inch scallop is more than double the weight of a three-inch scallop. If sublegal scallops are illegally harvested, then dramatically more scallops will be killed each year, resulting in unnecessary resource depletion.


scallops needed to reach daily limit plot




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"*Click the links below to see detailed instructions & additional reporting tips:*"






*Maine LEEDS:*

*

Download Submitted Landings Reports  [ [link removed] ]


* Creating a Did Not Fish Report  [ [link removed] ]
* How to View Compliance Status [ [link removed] ]
* Creating a Lobster Report [ [link removed] ]
* Editing a Report in LEEDS [ [link removed] ]

*Click here [ [link removed] ] to view all LEEDS how-to manuals.




*VESL App:*

* Download a Report of VESL Data [ [link removed] ]
* Creating a Did Not Fish Report  [ [link removed] ]
* Creating a State Lobster Report [ [link removed] ]
* Creating a Federal Lobster Report [ [link removed] ]
* Editing a Report in VESL [ [link removed] ]

 

*Click here [ [link removed] ] to view all VESL how-to manuals.








 

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Update your subscriptions, modify your password or email address, or stop subscriptions at any time on your Subscriber Preferences Page [ [link removed] ]. You will need to use your email address to log in. If you have questions or problems with the subscription service, please contact subscriberhelp.govdelivery.com [ [link removed] ].

DO NOT REPLY TO THIS EMAIL AS RESPONSES ARE NOT MONITORED. 

This service is provided to you as a courtesy by the Maine Department of Marine Resources [ [link removed] ].

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This email was sent to [email protected] using GovDelivery Communications Cloud on behalf of: Maine Department of Marine Resources · 21 State House Station · Augusta, ME 04333-0021· 207-624-6550 GovDelivery logo [ [link removed] ]