Page updated on 01/04/08
 

Saturday Night Banquet, Awards, and Dance
 

Excerpts of article by Janice M. Plante, Commercial Fisheries News, April 2007

     In keeping with what has become an annual tradition at the closing banquet of the Maine Fishermen's Forum, the Maine Lobstermen's Association (MLA) presented two awards to individuals considered to be highly deserving of special recognition.
     The association's Officer of the Year Award went to Specialist Troy Dow of the Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR) Bureau of Marine Patrol, and the Golden V-Notch Award went to the MLA's own Mike Myrick.
 
DMR Officer of the Year Award  
     MLA President David Cousens, who handed out the awards, said Specialist Dow "epitomizes what the relationship between the warden and industry should be."
     Dow first joined the bureau in 1996 and was assigned to the Machias patrol, where Cousens said he "took an immediate interest in the job and the commercial fishing industry."
     "He was quick to learn the different fisheries, fishing gear, and fishermen, and he  took it upon himself to learn to haul and set lobster gear and run our larger boats," Cousens said.
     The hard work clearly paid off because in 2001, Dow was promoted to boat specialist.  He moved to the Mount Desert Island area to take command of the patrol vessel Dirigo, which monitors the Section 5 area of the bureau’s Division II region spanning from the Penobscot River to Hancock Bridge.  Once there Dow obtained his Coast Guard license and, as he did in Machias, quickly familiarized himself with his new fishing community.
      “Once again he gained the respect of fishermen in the area,” said Cousens.
     While all of these achievements are noteworthy, Cousens said the past year in particular made Dow the right choice for the Officer of the Year Award.
       “As the boat operator, he was instrumental in making two cases against fishermen who were fishing in the wrong zone,” Cousens said.  “These types of cases are hard to make. They take many hours of surveillance, hauling, and locating gear – and then making the  final trap count. Troy’s dedication to the job is recognized by fishermen and the department alike.”
      While accepting the award,  Dow said, “I want to thank the MLA for sponsoring this award.  It truly is unique, and it means a lot to me.”
     According to Lt. Alan Talbot, who  heads up Division II, the two cases cited  above were “rather difficult,” especially because they required long stretches at sea and so much trap hauling.
      Talbot said Dow was especially deserving of the award because he showed so much initiative in obtaining his boating and fishing industry skills.
     “He came from a non-maritime  background,” said Talbot.  “But due to his interest in the industry, he learned these things himself. He’s very steady, and that makes him a valuable member of our team here.”
     This was the 14th year in a row that the MLA paid tribute to the state’s marine patrol officers.

Golden V-notch
     Mike Myrick, a member of the MLA’s board of directors from Cushing, was honored for his tireless work on the whale front.
     “He has become our whale guru,” said Cousens. “He has spent hundreds of miles on the road going to meetings to represent industry and the MLA.”
     Myrick, an association member for roughly 20 years, now serves on the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Team and closely tracks developments in the federal whale rule.
     Over the years, he has participated in rope experiments and has worked diligently with state and federal agencies on all whale and lobster fronts. He even worked for a brief stint at DMR last year as the department’s field liaison to fishermen. Prior to that, he was heavily involved with the Zone D lobster council.
     While accepting the award, Myrick said, “I never knew how they chose these things. I figure I’m just proud to represent the MLA and the industry.  I believe whole-heartedly in both.”
     To the MLA he said, “I thank you very much for this.”
     Myrick is the eighth recipient of the association’s Golden V-notch award.  Previous recipients were:  Bill Anderson (2001); Jon Carter (2002); Bob Baines (2003); David Cousens (2004); Arnie Gamage and Brian McLain jointly (2005); and Pat White (2006). 
     The MLA began handing out the award to recognize members who go “above and beyond the call of duty to help preserve” the lobster industry.

Scholarships
     Saturday night the Forum’s board of directors handed out 23 individual $1,000 scholarships to immediate family members of people “actively involved in Maine’s seafood industry.”  The Forum received 36 applications in all.

Moment of Silence
     During the banquet's most poignant moment, the mood was somber when Forum Board member Kristan Porter called for a moment of silence to "honor friends and fellow fishermen" from Maine and New Hampshire who had been lost at sea over the past year.
     Those lost were: Steve Smith of the April Lee; Jim Weaver of the Taylor Emily; Sean Cone and Dan Miller of the Lady Luck; Arthur Max Unger III of the Eulah McGrath; and James Tippett of the Virginia Ann.