Co-op offers fishing fuel rebates
A fishing cooperative on the verge of shutting down is offering $30,000 in fuel rebates in hopes of luring fishermen back to Maine.
Beginning Jan. 1, the Maine Fisherman's Cooperative is using its proceeds from an investment company, Vessel Services in Portland, to rebate fishermen the state's 5% diesel marine fuel tax, according to the Portland Press Herald and the Maine Public Broadcasting Network. Cooperative President Terry Alexander told the paper the funds will likely only benefit several dozen boats and run out in six months, but that the group hopes the incentive will help bring fishermen back to the state who have opted to take their catch out of state, in part to avoid the fuel tax. The fuel tax can equal several thousand dollars a year for fishing vessels, according to MPBN. The rebate program is open to boats that land fish at the Portland Fish Exchange and buy fuel at Vessel Services within 10 days, according to the paper.
The state's ban on selling lobster bycatch, or the lobster that get caught in groundfishing nets, has also pushed fishermen out of state, Alexander said. The cooperative is disbanding because many of the state's fishermen belong to species-specific industry groups.
Go to the article from the Portland Press Herald >>
Go to the article from MPBN >>
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