Augusta – Twenty Maine residents will soon have a chance to join the state’s lucrative elver fishery.

The Department of Marine Resources will hold a lottery, starting at noon today, January 26, 2026, for the right to apply for an elver license. The lottery will be available through 4:30 p.m. February 20, 2026, providing lottery winners with the chance to apply for a license prior to the upcoming season, which starts at noon on March 22, 2026, and runs through noon on June 7, 2026.

A public hearing for Chapter 41, 2026 Menhaden Season will be held at 5:00 p.m. on February 10th and will be conducted in-person in Augusta and remotely via Microsoft Teams. If you are planning to participate remotely on February 9th, please use the Microsoft Teams link below. 

A copy of the Notice of Agency Rulemaking Proposal can be found on the DMR website.

A public hearing for Chapter 2, Aquaculture Regulations will be held at 5:00 p.m. on February 9th and will be conducted in-person in Augusta and remotely via Microsoft Teams. If you are planning to participate remotely on February 9th, please use the Microsoft Teams link below. 

A copy of the Notice of Agency Rulemaking Proposal can be found on the DMR website.

The Lobster Advisory Council (LAC) will meet on Tuesday, January 27th, 2026 at 2:00 PM.  This meeting will be held at the DMR Offices at the Marquardt Building, located at 32 Blossom Lane, Augusta, room 118. 

The meeting agenda is attached to this notice.

This notice is to remind you that the winter bottom trawl survey of the

The Commercial Fishing Safety Council's Working Group will meet Wednesday, January 21, 2026 from 7pm-8pm. A link to join the meeting is below.