PORTLAND, Maine (AP) - Maine fishing regulators are introducing a new swipe card system they say will help keep better track of the state’s sea urchin fishery.
The system will allow urchin dealers to send information about the volume and price of sales to the state.
State marine resources commissioner Patrick Keliher says the system will ensure the availability of accurate and timely information that is critical to managing the fishery. Maine urchins are used in food, such as sushi.
Maine’s urchin harvesting season begins this month and runs until March.
Urchins experienced a boom in the 1990s and were once second only to lobster in terms of value among Maine seafood.
They have since declined. The catch was worth $4.3 million last year, down from a high of $35.6 million in 1995.
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