F R O M   T H E   C R O W E ’ S   N E S T

Refrigerators Empty



A few months ago people in the fishing industry were talking about there being a lot going on in the industry. And there was.

However, the pandemic that emerged in late February has rapidly changed the lives of consumers and the markets for seafood. Prices for Maine seafood have plunged. Traditional markets have shut down, at least for a while. There is a lot of uncertainty.

This is the slow season for lobster fishing. Fishermen remain optimistic about lobster fishing in the late summer, but they are concerned at the same time. Prices have been falling as restaurants close and export markets disappear. Prices for Maine scallops are half what they typically are at this time of year.

One fishing organization has said they are operating in uncharted waters surrounded by questions, uncertainty and fear as COVID-19 spreads in Maine. The Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association (MCFA) posted this on their site, “COVID-19 has only started to reach the coast of Maine but we are feeling the ripples of what will be a dramatic and profound impact.”

The Maine DMR delayed the opening of the elver season for two weeks while they developed COVID-19 protocols for fishing and handling elvers. They included social distancing, maintaining a distance of six feet between fishermen, and the procedure for fishing a family member’s elver quota for them should they be ill and unable to fish.

The threats to human life and economic survival in this pandemic are real and significant. In a month, COVID-19 has killed thousands and disrupted economies around the world, and is expected to continue to wreak havoc. There is no end in sight for the spread of the virus or the damage from it. The aftermath, when it begins and how long it lasts, has as many unknowns as the virus.

The Maine DMR commissioner is urging all sectors of the fishing industry to work together in the short term and help find solutions. The federal government included the fisheries in the stimulus package to help ease the financial uncertainty and crisis that lie ahead for Maine fishermen.

Coming together to cooperate in finding solutions will be necessary. Federal, state and local cooperation could be necessary to deal with the economic damage that leaves boat, home and business mortgages out on a limb and refrigerators empty.