Membership
Our leadership may be changing but our mission is not. Please join the MLA during our Spring membership Campaign.
Membership Renew, join or find out more about membership
Business Discounts Are you an MLA member? Check out discounts at local businesses
Business Directory Support the businesses that support us.
Monthly MLA Pages Find out what’s going on in the lobster industry!
“For the past 62 years the Maine Lobstermen’s Association has advocated for lobstermen from all parts of the Maine coast. Its longevity is due to the men and women who make up its membership. Staying strong and relevant means successfully drawing new members into the association year after year..”
Read more here
Current News
Tax Time Is Nearly Here!
While tax season is not the happiest time of the year, it is among the most important. We want you to have all the information you need to file your taxes and to file them correctly. While many people work with an experienced tax preparer or accountant, some use online software tools such as Turbo Tax or H&R Block.
Taxpayers have until April 17, 2018, to file their 2017 returns and pay any taxes due. Choosing e-file and direct deposit is Read more here
Cutler Man to Head Maine Lobstermen’s Association
At the Annual Meeting in March the Board of Directors voted Kristan Porter of Cutler to be the new President of the MLA. He replaces long time president David Cousens who has stepped down after 27 years of leadership. Kristan brings a wealth of industry knowledge and leadership skills. Read about Kristan here
Good Bye David Cousens. And Thank You.
The 2018 MLA Annual Meeting will mark a changing of the guard for the Association. After 27 years of service as President of the MLA, David Cousens is retiring. This transition is a good time to reflect on the MLA’s many accomplishments during David’s tenure and the MLA’s strength and stability as it seamlessly transitions to new leadership.
The MLA has been hard at work fighting to preserve a way of life for lobstermen, their families and their communities since 1954. No one person can build a 64-year legacy the magnitude of the MLA’s. David is only the fourth president since the
Events
The Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR), Bureau of Marine Sciences, will be hosting research prioritization meetings for Scallops, Sea Urchins, River Herring, Eel, Halibut and Atlantic Herring. These meetings will help DMR establish research priorities that will increase the understanding of each species’ ecology and assessment and will contribute to sound management decisions. The DMR will use information gathered from these meetings to identify research priorities and support collaborations with external partners.
Each session will include brief presentations by DMR staff on management, ecology and assessment needs that will encourage discussions by all participants. All meetings are open to the public, with members of the fishing industry, interested scientists and NGOs encouraged to attend.
Expected outcomes include a published list of research priorities for each species, increased engagement between the DMR and interested parties, and publication and dissemination of a document that captures the input from each session.
Please RSVP your intent to participate in one or more sessions via email to Marta Peters or by phone at 207-633-9523. Please include the species session(s) you plan to attend, and the number of people who will be attending each session. For those attending both sessions in a day, lunch will be provided.
For more information on the intent of DMR’s research prioritization contact Carl Wilson, Director, Bureau of Marine Sciences via email or by phone at 207-633-9538.
Directions to the Augusta office of DMR can be found on the DMR website.
Facilitation support is generously provided by Maine Sea Grant.
The Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR), Bureau of Marine Sciences, will be hosting research prioritization meetings for Scallops, Sea Urchins, River Herring, Eel, Halibut and Atlantic Herring. These meetings will help DMR establish research priorities that will increase the understanding of each species’ ecology and assessment and will contribute to sound management decisions. The DMR will use information gathered from these meetings to identify research priorities and support collaborations with external partners.
Each session will include brief presentations by DMR staff on management, ecology and assessment needs that will encourage discussions by all participants. All meetings are open to the public, with members of the fishing industry, interested scientists and NGOs encouraged to attend.
Expected outcomes include a published list of research priorities for each species, increased engagement between the DMR and interested parties, and publication and dissemination of a document that captures the input from each session.
Please RSVP your intent to participate in one or more sessions via email to Marta Peters or by phone at 207-633-9523. Please include the species session(s) you plan to attend, and the number of people who will be attending each session. For those attending both sessions in a day, lunch will be provided.
For more information on the intent of DMR’s research prioritization contact Carl Wilson, Director, Bureau of Marine Sciences via email or by phone at 207-633-9538.
Directions to the Augusta office of DMR can be found on the DMR website.
Facilitation support is generously provided by Maine Sea Grant.
If you have any questions, please contact Sarah Cotnoir at sarah.cotnoir@maine.gov or 207-624-6596.
The New England Fisheries Management Council is exploring options for ecosystem-based fishery 
management. As part of that process, the council requested a peer review of a proposed management procedure, including the models used to test that procedure. An ecosystem-based approach to management would allow a variety of factors — from fishery stock status to ecosystem conditions to human dimensions — to be considered in developing fishery management decisions.
During this meeting information on the structure and function of the Georges Bank ecosystem, the proposed management procedure, and models used to test that procedure will be presented to external peer reviewers. The reviewers will evaluate simulation studies conducted to assess the performance of the proposed management procedure as well as the data to support such a procedure. The results will help shape the way forward for the council as it explores use of fishery ecosystem plans for the Northeast
For more information, please contact Robert Gamble 508 495 2202.
