Islanders Gain Control Of Lobster Grounds

For the first time in Maine history, the lobster grounds surrounding an island have been declared off limits to all who are not islanders.

Gov. Angus King signed into law Friday a measure allowing lobster fishing only by the fishermen who set traps around the island last winter - all islanders. The law was sought by island fishermen who said they feared that residents from the nearby town of Friendship might overfish the waters surrounding the island, 12 miles off the Maine coast.

Islanders agreed to give up their rights to fish outside the specified bounds around the island. The new law also sets up a study group to look into ways of conserving the lobster fishery.