Ex-Ready Seafood Execs Push Back Against Lawsuit, Deny Stealing Trade Secrets

Two former Ready Seafood executives are firing back at their old employer’s lawsuit, denying in newly filed court papers that they stole trade secrets or poached customers to launch their competing company, Packers Pride USA.

In a motion filed on July 24, Andrew Daughan and Robert Kragh, and their company, opposed the temporary and preliminary restraining order that was filed by Ready Seafood earlier this month, as Expana’s Seafoodnews reported last week. The restraining order would halt Packers Pride from soliciting Ready’s customers in the coming years...

Congressman Jared Golden Pushes to Extend Lobster Fishing Regulation Moratorium Until 2035 

Congressman Jared Golden (D-ME) is calling on lawmakers to extend a federal pause on new lobster fishing regulations aimed at protecting North Atlantic right whales.  

Golden worked alongside Maine Governor Janet Mills in 2023 to create the current moratorium, which is set to expire in 2028. Now, he’s urging the House Natural Resources Committee (HNRC) to extend the pause until 2035 through a proposed amendment to the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). 

Speaking before the HNRC Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife, and Fisheries on...

Maine Sea Grant Helping State Conserve Atlantic Salmon

The last wild population of Atlantic salmon in the US is getting a boost from Maine Sea Grant.  

The University of Maine-led program is aiding the Maine Department of Marine Resources with fish stocking, habitat restoration and research in the Gulf of Maine. 

In its sixth year, the joint NMFS/Maine Sea Grant program paid summer interns to work with the department on Atlantic salmon research and conservation for 13 weeks each summer — from Downeast Maine to the Kennebec and Penobscot River watersheds...

Cozy Harbor, a Maine Lobster Staple, Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy

Cozy Harbor Seafood, a staple processor in the Maine lobster industry, along with its companies Art’s Lobster Co. and Casco Bay Lobster, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on July 1.

The bankruptcy declaration filed by Cozy Harbor’s owner, John Norton, said the decision stems from “the price of seafood that it purchases for processing” coming out of the pandemic, along with tariff uncertainty.

“Premised on price instability arising first out of the COVID pandemic and then out of uncertainty due to tariff threats, the Debtors have had trouble operating within...

Commerce Secretary Lutnick Addresses Maine Lobster Tariffs, Promises Science-Backed Regulations

Last week, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick weighed in on pressing concerns for Maine's lobster industry, including US-Canada lobster tariffs and promising a commitment to "gold standard science" in future federal regulations impacting the state's staple seafood.

Lutnick went so far as to call the industry an “American treasure” that should be protected.

During the hearing, Lutnick was questioned by Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), who highlighted how intertwined Canada and Maine are, noting the impact of tariffs on lobster, which is primarily processed in Canada, along with other...

NOAA Fisheries Closes Federal Scallop Fishing in Northern Gulf of Maine Until April 2026

Today, NOAA Fisheries (NMFS) announced the closure of the Northern Gulf of Maine (NGOM) Scallop Management Area to all scallop vessels fishing under federal scallop regulations, effective April 28, 2025, at 0001 hour.

According to NMFS’ recent press release, the federal entity projects that 100% of the set-aside for the NGOM Scallop Management Area will be taken by April 28, henceforth the end of the 2025 fishing season.  

Per the announcement, no scallop vessels within the federally permitted limited access general category may fish...

Commerce Department Agrees to Reassess Maine Sea Grant Funding

US Senator Susan Collins announced that the Department of Commerce agreed to renegotiate funding for Maine Sea Grant.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, following a push from Collins, said that NOAA will renegotiate the terms and conditions of the work to be performed by Maine Sea Grant to "ensure that it focuses on advancing Maine’s coastal economies, working waterfronts and sustainable fisheries.”

“I appreciate the Secretary’s willingness to work together to ensure that Maine Sea Grant can continue to conduct research, support a robust pipeline of skilled labor, and ensure that our...

Carl Wilson Tapped to Helm Maine Department of Marine Resources, State Senate Hearing Ahead

Maine Governor Janet Mills named Carl Wilson, highly regarded fisheries scientist at the Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR) for the last 26 years, to serve as the department's next commissioner.  Yesterday’s announcement followed a February 18 announcement that Patrick Keliher, Maine’s longest serving commissioner of Maine’s DMR, will be retiring March 14, as Expana reported.

First joining DMR in 1999 as the agency's lead lobster biologist, Wilson has served since 2015 as Director of DMR's Bureau of Marine Science. The Bureau oversees...

Lobster Size Rule Reversed: Industry Concerns Prompt ASMFC to Repeal Gauge Increase

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) repealed a controversial proposal to increase the minimum catch size limits for lobsters in the Gulf of Maine.

The ASMFC said its decision stems from “fervent industry concerns about the potential economic impacts” of the increased minimum gauge size in the Gulf of Maine and possible trade issues with Canada.

The rule was set to go into effect on July 1, 2025.

“Rolling back resiliency measures is not at all what I wanted to have happened. After multiple zone...

Volunteer Divers Recover Body from Sunken Scallop Boat Off Maine Coast

On Sunday morning, February 2, 2025, a team of volunteer divers recovered a body from inside the cabin of the fishing vessel Sudden Impact off the coast of Maine.

The body is believed to be either Chester “Chet” Barrett or his son Aaron Barrett, who went missing on January 18, when the two commercial scallop fishermen from South Addison failed to return home from a fishing trip earlier in the day.

The recovered body was transported to the medical examiner’s office for formal identification. A second body was not...

Browne Trading Company Welcomes Three New Partners to Drive Growth & Sustainability

Portland, Maine-based Browne Trading Company announced an organizational shakeup, including the formation of 260 commercial investments via three new investment partners.

The company explained that the new partnership will enhance its capacity to grow its distribution network and improve its sustainability goals.

Rod Browne Mitchell, the company’s founder and CEO, will continue to handle day-to-day operations. Ed Chiles, who brings 45 years of experience into the fold, recently sold his three waterfront restaurants in Florida. He is the first of the three new investment partners...

Ready Seafood Sues Ex-Executives, Alleges Trade Secret Theft After Founding Packers Pride

Ready Seafood, a prominent Maine-based supplier of live and processed lobster products, has filed a lawsuit against two of its former executives, Andrew Daughan and Robert Kragh, as well as their newly formed company, Packers Pride.

The suit, filed on July 14 in US District Court, alleges that the former employees breached their contracts and illegally used confidential business information to directly compete with their former employer. 

Daughan was hired in 2018 as Ready Seafood’s Vice President of Category Management. He was tasked with...

Senate Appropriations Committee Approves Funding to Boost Maine’s Lobster Industry  

The Senate Appropriations Committee has advanced funding to support Maine’s lobster industry, as part of the Fiscal Year 2026 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS) Appropriations bill. Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine), who chairs the committee, announced the approval on Monday. 

The bill allocates funding across several areas, including 

- $30 million to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission for research and monitoring related to North Atlantic right whales. 

- $80 million for the National Sea Grant Program, which in Maine supports sustainable fisheries, working waterfronts, and...

Maine DMR: Body of Missing Milbridge Man Recovered

At approximately 11 a.m. today, the body of Alton Wallace, 51 of Milbridge was recovered by Maine Marine Patrol Officers from the western shore of Foster Island in Narraguagus Bay. Mr. Wallace had been missing since Sunday, May 18 when he failed to return from harvesting clams, prompting a search of the Bay and surrounding islands.

Wallace's body was located today by a fisherman near the high-water line. The fisherman reported it to Marine Patrol Officers who quickly responded and were able to confirm his identity by his driver's license...

Alaska’s Murkowski and Maine’s King Reintroduce the Working Waterfronts Act 

Last Friday, Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Angus King (I-ME), reintroduced the Working Waterfronts Act, 16 months after it was introduced in the last Congress.  

The bill includes more than a dozen provisions aimed at boosting the workforce, shoreside infrastructure, energy availability, food security, and overall economies of coastal communities in Alaska and across the country. The bill will also support efforts to mitigate the impacts of climate change on coastal communities and strengthen federal conservation research projects. 

Two and a half years ago Senator Murkowski...

Highwood Harbor Acquires Nova Seafood, Expanding Seafood Portfolio

Highwood Harbor, a group backed by seafood entrepreneur Jordan Mazzetta, announced the acquisition of Maine-based seafood processor and distribution company Nova Seafood.

The firm, owned by Angelo Ciocca and George Branco for the past 30-plus years, will continue to operate under the same management and practices.

Jordan Mazzetta, owner of Highwood Harbor, expressed his enthusiasm for the acquisition: "We are thrilled to welcome Nova Seafood into the Highwood Harbor family. Angelo, George, and their team have built an incredible legacy over the past three decades, and we are committed to...

Lobster Prices Drive Improved Landings Value for Maine’s Fishing Industry

New data shared by the Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR) indicated that harvesters in the state earned $74 million more in 2024 than in 2023 with total landings valued at $709,509,984.

“During a year shaped by unprecedented storms and damage to our working waterfronts, Maine’s commercial fishermen, aquaculturists, and seafood dealers once again delivered a major economic benefit to our state,” said Governor Janet Mills. “They did so through hard work and their time-honored commitment to producing and delivering the best seafood in the world...

Maine Department of Marine Resources Commissioner Patrick Keliher to Retire

Maine Governor Janet Mills announced that Patrick Keliher, the long-time Commissioner of the Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR), will retire on March 14.

Keliher was the longest-serving commissioner in DMR’s history. Mills reappointed him in 2019, but he had been in the role since 2012.

“Over his tenure, Keliher has earned a reputation as a strong and influential voice for the protection of Maine's marine resources and environment, and a powerful advocate for the Maine industries, communities, and people that depend on them...

Body Recovered from Sunken Scallop Boat Off Maine Coast Was Father Chester Barrett

The Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR) released a bulletin today confirming the identity of the recovered body from the fishing vessel Sudden Impact, which sunk off the coast of Maine in mid-January.

Per the Office of Chief Medical Examiner, the body recovered from the wreckage on Sunday, February 2 was confirmed to be Chester “Chet” Barrett of South Addison.

The search for Barrett and his son, Aaron, began on January 19, after the two men failed to return home from a fishing trip the day...

UMaine-led Team Develops More Holistic Way to Monitor Lobster Industry

Maine’s lobster fishery — one that supports thousands of jobs statewide — is extensively monitored. Management efforts are informed by biological monitoring surveys observing changes in abundance and distribution of the lobster population, and dealer and harvester reporting from the industry. Yet these statistics don’t tell the whole story of an industry shaken by supply and market disruptions and geopolitical conflict, or the welfare of the people and communities that rely on it. 

Since the annual commercial lobster landings have declined 27% from 2016-2022, the Maine Lobstermen’s Association...

Maine Lobstermen Urged to Relocate Gear After Right Whale Sightings

The Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR) released a bulletin urging commercial lobstermen to move their gear from Jeffreys Ledge after 75 endangered North Atlantic right whales were spotted last week just off the western edge of the area, per a January 17 bulletin.

“I am strongly urging any lobster fisherman with gear in the vicinity of the right whales on Jeffreys Ledge to move their gear to another area until surveys indicate that the whales have moved on,” DMR Commissioner Patrick Keliher said...