The top fisheries regulator in the U.S. state of Maine is set to retire after more than a decade on the job.
Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR) Commissioner Patrick Keliher has announced his retirement, effective 14 March. First appointed in 2012 and then reappointed in 2019, Keliher is the longest-serving DMR commissioner in Maine’s history.
"After nearly 14 years of dealing with the challenges facing Maine's marine resources, it's not the issues I remember most; it's the people,” Keliher said in a statement. "The issues facing the marine sector are ones not easily solved, which means rolling up your sleeves and having tough conversations about how people make a living on the water and about what Maine has to offer. Through the good times and the bad, I have made lasting friendships up and down the coast. This work and the success of the DMR was made possible only through the hard work and dedication of our employees. I leave this job humbled by these friendships and by my extraordinarily talented staff who I was blessed to work with every day."
Keliher was lauded for his oversight of Maine’s commercial fishing sector by industry representatives and Maine’s top elected officials, including Governor Janet Mills.
"Commissioner Keliher – Pat – has served this administration and the people of Maine with great distinction. Under his leadership, he tackled many significant challenges to Maine's commercial fisheries and marine industries, while leading an agency that served its many communities and constituencies with honesty and respect," Mills said. "Maine's commercial fisheries and seafood industries, our marine environment, our working waterfronts, and our coastal communities are better today because of Pat's relentless advocacy for Maine.
Along with his position as commissioner, Keliher also served as chair of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission and was a member of the commission’s Lobster Management Board, the New England Fisheries Management Council, and the Board of the Finance Authority of Maine. He also served as chair of the Land for Maine's Future program.
Keliher was the key state overseer of Maine’s commercial lobster fishery during ...
