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V O L . X X I N O. X X I I I O C T O B E R 5 , 2 0 1 5 6 Lobstermen: Black sea bass threaten lobster fishery Black sea bass moving northward as waters warm off the coast of New England has some commercial fisher- men and lobstermen worrying that the sea bass are threatening lobsters in the region, the Associated Press reported Sept. 25. Some fishermen are pushing for higher quotas and less restrictions for the sea bass fishery because sea bass prey on lobsters, a much more economically important species. Black sea bass are growing in commercial value, worth a record $8.5 million-plus in 2013, according to the AP. Lobsters were worth more than $460 million in 2013, another record. Marc Hoffman, a Long Island, N.Y., recreational bass fisherman who sits on the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission advisory panel for sea bass, told the AP that a major quota increase is needed because black sea bass are wiping out lob- sters. But scientists with the commis- sion say more research is needed to determine how abundant the species is in New England waters. e fish is often caught in the mid-Atlantic states, but a quarter were caught off of New England in 2013. Maine recently established a commercial fishery for the species, and New Hampshire fish- ermen have expressed interest starting one, state officials told the AP. More fallout from VW investigation A Portland law firm filed a class- action lawsuit Sept. 24 against Volkswagen, while Maine's attor- ney general announced her office had joined other states and the federal government in an investiga- tion into the German carmaker after Volkswagen admitted to rigging emission tests on some diesel vehi- cles. e law firm, Verrill Dana, filed the lawsuit against the Herndon, Va.-based Volkswagen Group of America Inc. on behalf of residents in Falmouth and Cumblerand and other Maine residents who own cars installed with the software that helps the cars cheat on emissions tests, the Portland Press Herald reported. Maine Attorney General Janet Mills also announced that her office joined the investigation alongside the federal government and at least 29 other states, the Bangor Daily News reported. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said the software that turns off the full emissions con- trol system during normal driving was installed on roughly 482,000 diesel passenger cars sold in the United States since 2008. Tim Feeley, spokes- man for the Maine attorney general's office, told the BDN that his office is working with the secretary of state to determine how many of the affected cars are registered in the state. Maine delays technology for sea urchin fishery e Maine Department of Marine Resources is delaying its plan to track the sea urchin fishery with swipe cards until fall 2016, MPBN reported Sept. 24.e state's implementation of the plan is being delayed because more testing is needed to resolve soft- ware problems with the swipe cards, a department spokesman told MPBN. e swipe card system is similar to a program the state unveiled for the elvers fishery last year and is supposed to allow the state to collect informa- tion about volume and price of urchin sales in real time. Harvested for its roe, green sea urchins have become one of Maine's most valuable com- mercial marine resources in recent years, according to a DMR report from August. e preliminary figures for 2013-14 season landings pegged the catch at 1.9 million pounds valued at $5.1 million, according to the report. Urchin landings peaked during the 1992–93 season at 39 million pounds valued at $23.5 million and declined in following years due to stock declines, management actions and harvester attrition, according to the report. Price for heating oil at lowest point since 2004 Heading into the winter, the aver- age price of home heating oil is lower than it's been in a decade, falling below $2 per gallon in the Governor's Energy Office's most recent heat- ing fuel survey. e survey released Sept. 23 found the average price of No. 2 was $1.99 per gallon, down 9 cents since late August. Kerosene and propane prices also declined since late August, dropping to $2.56 and $2.14 per gallon, respectively. Since February 2014, when the average price was $3.88, heating oil prices have dropped steeply. But whether the price will keep dropping during the winter months is uncertain, said Lisa Smith, senior planner at the energy office. She said the global price of crude oil has recently creeped upward, but the the overall market is still over- supplied with oil. Historically, heating oil prices have increased as winter progresses, maxing out at the end of February or beginning of March, Smith said. But that didn't happen last year. Smith said she's recently been getting calls from people asking her whether they should buy heat- ing oil now or hold out for a lower price, but she doesn't have an answer. Although "prices are darn good now," she said, they could go up anytime. "It just depends on how risk-averse you are at this point," Smith said. "If you don't mind being a little risky and waiting, it's up to you." N O T E W O R T H Y S T A T E W I D E The Institute of Museum and Library Services awarded a $150,000 grant to the Abbe Museum in Bar B U S I N E S S M A I N E Business news from around the state S T A T E W I D E Co-working space slated to open in Westbrook in November A marketing professional in Westbrook is planning to open a co-working space in 1,800 square feet of the historic Dana Warp Mill. Peter Anania, who started New England Marketing Group in late 2014, announced Sept. 22 that he's opening the co-working space on Nov. 1. He said he's open- ing it because he had difficulty finding available co-working space elsewhere. The space, called LocalHost Coworking, will have four offices, a conference room and the option for members to rent dedicated or floating desks, Anania said. He envisions it serving as a business incubator in the future, with support services for members and events at the space. However, it will begin as just a place for people to rent remote office space. "We're really going to crawl, walk, run with this," Anania said in an interview with Mainebiz. The location at the mill, which overlooks Saccarappa Falls, also attracted Anania, he said. The mill has tall ceilings and windows, and already has a culture of website development with some of the other tenants, he added. Anania said he would like to see people in the online marketing industry rent space at LocalHost, but it will be open to anyone. Anania's other company, New England Marketing Group, which has one other employee, will locate to the space, but no one else has signed up yet, he said. In a prepared statement from Anania announcing the new space, Westbrook Mayor Colleen Hilton said the city sees it as an exciting development for its downtown. "Collaboration as a means for growth and success is a philosophy shared by co-working spaces and the city of Westbrook," Hilton said. LocalHost is charging monthly membership fees of $500 for a large office with river views, $350 for a regular office, $225 for a dedicated desk with river views, $200 for a dedicated desk and $125 for a floating desk, according to its website. — P a u l K o e n i g P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y O F P E T E R A N A N I A Dana Warp Mill in Westbrook will house an 1,800-square-foot co-working space, LocalHost Coworking. The creator of LocalHost sees it as a business incubator.

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