[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 35 (Tuesday, February 27, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S1238]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                        TRIBUTE TO DAVID COUSENS

 Mr. KING. Mr. President, today I wish to recognize David 
Cousens of South Thomaston, ME, who will soon retire from being the 
president of the Maine Lobstermen's Association after a tenure spanning 
three decades. Dave's skills as a leader and savvy as a lobsterman have 
steered the organization and members of the industry it represents with 
a strong and steady hand through a period of increased landings, 
innovative conservation, and improved regulatory structure. Dave's 
hallmark over his entire career was an ability to listen to and foster 
respect between a diverse crowd of harvesters, regulators, scientists, 
and other members of the industry.
  When Dave became president of the Maine Lobstermen's Association in 
1991, great change was afoot. Then, with annual landings in the range 
of 30 million pounds, lobstermen were not limited in the number of 
traps they fished, draggers were permitted to land large quantities of 
lobster, and, despite a vast majority of it taking place in State 
waters, the fishery was managed federally. Furthermore, many of the 
conservation measures that we now identify as integral to the fishery 
were, at the time, only practiced voluntarily by Maine lobstermen.
  Over the past 27 years, while running one of the most prominent 
industry groups in the State, Dave has not backed off his primary 
occupation, that of a lobsterman. The time he has spent behind the 
wheel of his truck getting to meetings up and down the coast of Maine, 
in meetings from Washington, DC, to Nova Scotia and everywhere in 
between, and on the phone with anyone and everyone has not stopped him 
from continuing to fish a full complement of traps--800 these days. 
This commitment, personal and communal, to an iconic Maine way of life 
is a significant reason why the fishery, which recently landed a record 
annual catch of 130 million pounds, is today both a crown jewel of 
Maine's coastal economy and a shining example of sustainability envied 
around the world.
  For generations, Maine lobstermen like Dave have known that to ensure 
their future livelihood and that of their children--(his three sons are 
also lobstermen)--they must responsibly shepherd the resource. Under 
Dave's leadership, the Maine Lobstermen's Association successfully 
helped transition management of lobster fishery from the Federal New 
England Fishery Management Council to the Atlantic States Marine 
Fisheries Commission and, as a result, expanded the Maine practice of 
marking egg-bearing females and returning them to the water so they may 
continue to breed to other States and Canadian provinces. He also 
oversaw successful efforts to significantly reduce the large amount of 
lobster that was being caught in the Gulf of Maine as bycatch in 
draggers' trawls, limit the total number of traps that lobstermen fish 
and increase the size of escape vents that allow juvenile lobsters to 
escape a trap. Most recently, as the fishery moves further offshore 
amidst warming ocean temperatures and concerns about its implications 
on whale population have arisen--Dave's trademark leadership style has 
set the stage for meaningful exchange and beneficial compromise on an 
issue that will likely get a lot of attention in the coming years.
  As Dave looks forward to spending a little more time with his family 
and friends, I wish to commend him on the exemplary leadership over the 
years--listening, learning, and always keeping a clear, insightful, and 
good-humored eye on the horizon.

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