FILE – In this June 12, 2015, file photo, a lobster is pulled from crate in Kennebunkport, Maine. Lobster prices are high in the U.S. right now, but members of the industry expect them to come down soon as the Canadian catch creeps up and America’s summer haul gets going. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)
A Maine lobstering group is promising to fight the approval of an oyster farm off the state's southern coast that has become part of a protracted battle over access to the water.
The Maine Department of Marine Resources approved a lease of about 35 acres in Maquoit Bay on Dec. 19 for Mere Point Oyster Company. The state uses a leasing system to allow people raising seafood to use state-owned waters to grow shellfish such as oysters and mussels.
Many Maine lobster fishermen oppose the application because they fear it'll take away their access to bay bottom where they trap.
