On May 13, 2009 Robin Alden, executive Director of Penobscot East, and Jeff Smith of The nature Conservancy gave a presentation of the Maine Legislture's Marine Resources Committee.

First Jeff Smith of TNC describes a plan, endorsed by MidCoast Fishermen's Association, Penobscot East, Island Institute and others, to use philanthropists to purchase federal groundfish permits. The permits would be limited to use by downeast Maine part time groundfishermen and other small boat fishers to use in fishing in federal waters off the Downeast Maine coast.

Robin Alden of Penobscot East's statement begins about ten minutes into the recording. Alden proposes that a "sentinel fishery" be carried out to determine what condition the groundfish schools near the coast are, and whether they could be exploited by a hook-only commercial fishery.

The legislators quiz the pair on details (Price of a groundfish permit can vary from

$100,000 dollars apiece to millions.)

Scallopers Michael Keating and Arthur Alley talk for 33 minutes with WRFR Community Radio's Ron Huber about their fishery in southwest Penobscot Bay, about the regulators who rule their fisheries and about the importance of keeping the complete ecosystem of the Bay and Gulf of Maine healthy.

On April 23, 2009 scallopers Arthur Alley and Michael Keating visited the studio of WRFR Community Radio in Rockland,to talk about scallops and the state of Penobscot Bay.

Legislature's Natural Resources Committee held a public hearing on LD 1282 "An Act To Protect and Enhance Maine Marine Fisheries." The bill would requires the owners of hydropower dams in Maine to enable safe and reliable passage over or around them for Maine's diadromous fishes.

This recording is 14 minutes of testimony by Kerry Hardy of Rockland, who lays out the historic distribution of diadromous fishes in Maine, their management over the last century and a half, and urges the bill be passed

On April 8, 2009 Maine DMR hosted a meeting at the Rockland Ferry terminal to discuss potential closed aras within the waters of Penobscot Bay and Muscongus Bay. Listen to a 37 minute meeting of several dozen scallopers, led by Togue Braun, DMR's scallop expert

The Mussel Ridge archipelago of islets and ledges in southwest Penobscot Bay is interlaced by swirling currents of water from both the Gulf of Maine and the Penobscot River, which each spring travels as a giant plume of snowmelt freshwater from the river's 8,500 square mile watershed all the way to the southwestern edges of Penobscot Bay, bringing an untold wealth of nutrients to the waiting bay ecosystems.

Michael Keating fishes this complex waterbody for a living and involves himself in the stakeholder processes for the ever-evolving fishing laws and regulations emanating from the agencies and legislatures of the state of Maine and the United States of America.

In this 42 minute interview on March 25, 2009, Keating describes his experiences within the fisheries of the Mussel Ridge, details how scallopers and other fishermen take on thes latest challenges and opportunities, and offers a heads up on a new initiative dawning for Bay fishermen a zone-managed cod trapping industry in Maine's territorial Sea (Mean Low Water to three miles from shore.

PHOTO: Mike Keating (right) and Arthur Alley(left) aboard Keating's scallop dragger Mary and Donna. (BDN photo by G. Degre)

On February 24th & 25th the Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment and a host of other NGOs held a workshop in Portland titled "Status, Trends and Conservation of Eelgrass in Atlantic Canada and the Northeastern United States."

Keynote Speaker was Dr Frederick Short of the University of New Hampshire's Jackson Estuarine Lab. He also directs the

SeagrassNet Global Monitoring Program, and is Vice President, World Seagrass Association

Here is his 43 minute keynote address to the workshop on February 24, entitled "Eelgrass: the Big Picture"

This is a shorter reposting of BayWatch talking by phone to Harlan McLaughlin, president of Fair Play for Sears Island. Harlan explains the mitigation process that the MDOT hopes to foist over Mainers with the help of the Army Corps of Engineers. We commiserate over what a mess the Maine Chapter of the Sierra Club has made of Sears Island by teaming up with the Maine Dept of Transportation. As always, the sounds of Penobscot Bay interweave...

Enjoy a 40+ minute show that includes an overview of the state of corrections in Maine and elsewhere, and segues into a lengthy phone conversation with a retired inmate, or ex-con, who phoned in and promises to call again next week, with a guide to etiquette and survival for the incarcerated. All interlaced with Jimi Hendrix. This show aired over WRFR lpfm, community radio for coastal Knox County, Maine

-Ron Huber, producer. See www.wrfr.org

On December 17th, Penobscot Bay Report's Ron Huber spoke with Jamie Johnson of Jess'Market on South Main Street in Rockland, Maine, about how the trade in lobsters and other live and fresh Maine- and Gulf of Maine-caught seafood is going in this time of a devalued dollar and a contracting economy. Ten minutes. See www.jessmarket.com