The Maine Department of Marine Resources hopes to raise the cost of commercial fishing licenses, according to a newspaper report.
If approved by the state’s legislature and governor, the price of a Class III license for a lobsterman with two sternmen would rise as much as USD 114 (EUR ) to more than USD 1,000 (EUR ), according to a report in the Portland Press Herald.
“In order to maintain the programs we have in place, and in order to maintain more of a central research budget for lobsters, we have put together an increase package,” Maine Department of Marine Resources Commissioner Patrick Keliher told the newspaper.
According to the department’s proposal, the cost of a commercial clamming license would incrase USD 80 (EUR 75); a finfish license would rise between USD 15 and USD 39 (EUR 14 and 37), depending on the species; a scallop diver’s license would increase by USD 58 (EUR 54); and a scallop dragging license would cost USD 43 (EUR 40) more. Lobster dealers would pay USD 94 (EUR 88) more and elver dealers would pay an additional USD 113 (EUR 106).
The proposed fee hike would raise an additional USD 600,000 (EUR 564,000) in revenue for the state, which the department wants to use to pay for a budget gap caused by expected rising costs.
The legislature’s Marine Resources and Appropriations committees will review and potentially vote on the move in February or March, the Press Herald reported.
