A New Version of the Matinicus Drama

Finally a reporter managed to get most of the story on recent Matinicus violence straight. The only thing missing is the manipulation of the supposed lobster territory birthright according to gender or just what the heck ever.
p.s. Thanks to Will Fraser of Wicked Good Films for the news story tip.

A Request for Facts

Swamphog, a commenter over at the BDN, writes this about the Matinicus situation:

Instead of coddling the islanders, tell them this, "1. Stop taking the law into your own hands by overt or underhanded means."

"2. If you cannot police yourselves tactfully and within the law, alternative measures will be taken."

Alternative measures? Turn all waters surrounding Matinicus into a marine sanctuary with zero fishing.

Though I agree with this writer's assessments, commenters tend to hang behind the cloak of anonymity, making writing a news story or even a reliable blog post pretty tough. Anyone with actual facts about the latest mini-drama from Matinicus want to step up and talk with this reporter/blogger?

BTW, I am an experienced reporter and editor, have been blogging for five years and am a huge believer in crowdsourcing for research and fact-finding. If anonymity is an issue, only your initials need appear in the blog as long as I know how to reach you.

One Man's View of Matinicus

Just tried to call the only photographer type named Kevin Bennett I could find in Maine. He works at the BDN. I'd hoped to confirm that he is the videographer. I found the clip on a blog called Lobsters on the Fly, run by Debby, an Orrs Island lobsterman's wife.

UPDATE: 28.JULY.09--Mr. Bennett called me back. He did indeed make the video and yes, he is a photographer at the BDN. Yay.



I believe this lobsterman's incredulity at the likelihood of things getting out of hand, but not the claim that things had been going smoothly lately.

Matinicus Fishermen Get Their Way [Again]

A judge, trying to protect the lobstermen from themselves after a recent shooting, ordered a two-week holiday from lobstering in the waters off Matinicus.

Matinicus lobsterman Joe Bray, who was thick in the last shooting incident a couple years ago--at least that anyone knows about--went to court today and got the two week holiday reduced to a weekend.

The link that shows Bray's involvement in the last drama is to a blog with clips from a Christian Science Monitor article.

The piece of information, or missed information really, I particularly enjoyed reading was Tad (Ira) Miller's concern about Victor Ames (the 2006 shooter) coming close to Miller's boat Mallory Sky. What the CSM reporter failed to mention--probably because no one else did--is that Victor Ames is Miller's father-in-law and the only reason Tad is free to, more years than not, make the most money of any lobstermen in Maine (and therefore the world) is that he married Victor Ames daughter Julie and lives, during the summer and fall, in a Matinicus island house Victor Ames built.

Matinicus Lobstermen Go Postal [Again]

If you have ever imagined you should live on a Maine island for some peace and serenity, think again. At least pick one where the ferry runs more than once a month.

On Matinicus it seems many of your potential neighbors have limited coping skills and worse self-control. They shoot each other over lobsters. Lobsters. Like sneakers and sunglasses only in more picturesque venues.

A perpetual feud over who is allowed to mine the mother lode lobster grounds around Matincus Island boiled over again yesterday when 68 year-old (not 77, BDN) Vance Bunker shot Chris Young in the neck.

Read the comments for a taste of the bitterness and anger.

A Marine Patrol Officer who went out after the fact chalks it up to signs of the times. Money is tight everywhere and these fishermen are facing a winter of living on something less than their usual half-million dollars. Waaaah.

Update, 21.July.09.2106: According to a pretty comprehensive AP article, there will be no lobster fishing for two weeks in Matinicus waters. Hard to tell whether this is good news or bad. Especially since lobstermen have been threatening to "tie up" for weeks now anyway because they say the prices are too low. Maybe there'll be a statewide sympathy "tie up" for those wild Matinicus renegades.