On Wednesday, May 24, a crowd of over 100 concerned citizens attended a forum at the Coastal Christian Academy in Waldoboro on the challenges facing our lobster industry. Forum participants focused on the history of lobstering as a self-regulated, sustainable fishery, right whale protections, and the impact of offshore wind power.

William “Billy Bob” Faulkingham of Winter Harbor, Maine House District 12 Representative, House Minority Leader and a fourth-generation lobsterman, was the first speaker. He emphasized that the lobster industry has, historically, self-regulated to improve the lobster population, citing how female lobsters are identified and then never harvested. He spoke about how government rules designed to minimize ropes running to the surface have escalated to the point that small boats have a very difficult time handling the number of traps required per trawl line. He also talked about NOAA risk-reduction regulations that would have effectively put the lobstering industry out of business last year. He credited the Maine federal delegation, including Senator Susan Collins, for securing a six-year reprieve on this onerous regulation. The lobby for offshore wind farms is crippling the lobster industry, with false claims that lobstering is harming the environment and the unsubstantiated narrative of lobster gear entanglement killing right whales.

Dustin Delano, chief operating officer of the New England Fishermen Stewardship Association and former vice president of the Maine Lobster Association, was the second speaker. He stressed that offshore wind environmental groups, some joining with, and backed by, large multi-national corporations, are creating a hostile environment designed to extinguish the lobster industry. Delano described floating, 900-foot wind turbines being secured to the ocean floor by chain links the size of vehicles that would sweep across the ocean floor, effectively demolishing the local fishing ecosystem. Delano reiterated that the proposed ropeless lobster trap system would be prohibitively expensive and simply would not work. Trap lines would be laid across each other with no ability to “float” to the surface – a proposal not grounded in data, science, or practical fishing experience.

Jason Joyce, an eighth-generation lobsterman from Swan’s Island, was the final speaker. He expressed general concern that there are not enough independent thinkers who research the facts about the fishing and lobster industries. He recounted recent testimony in Augusta by a spokesperson from the Audubon Society that the presence of wind farms 20 miles offshore will not interfere with birds, because no birds are there! This is simply not true, but no one questioned the testimony – (remember the puffins)! Joyce indicated that the U.S. Department of Interior is the federal agency currently tasked with granting leases for windmills. According to him, this effectively shifted the obligation to do environmental impact studies from the application to later in the actual project, effectively minimizing this critical step in permit and license processes. He talked about the current flurry of whale deaths further south and the potential impact of offshore wind related sonar activities on these whales – a far greater danger than Maine lobster gear. Joyce encouraged people to seek facts and take the time to understand what’s at stake because we need independent Maine thinkers to join this fight. The Gulf of Maine is the coveted prize of big wind money that will come at the expense of the Maine fishing industry.

Abden Simmon from Waldoboro closed the forum with a few remarks about his life-long experience in the fishing industry and desire to represent all constituents in House District 45, including the towns of Bremen, Friendship, Waldoboro, Washington and Louds Island. He reminded residents to vote in the upcoming special election on June 13.

This forum was sponsored by the Lincoln County Republican Committee whose monthly meetings often include outside speakers covering important local topics. Find out more information at www.lincolncountyrepublicans.org.