PORTLAND, Maine — On Friday, fishing regulators announced the cancellation of a proposed set of stricter fishing regulations in response to concerns regarding the decline of juvenile lobsters in the increasingly warm waters of New England.
The intended regulations included an increase in the minimum size requirement for lobsters captured by fishermen, with the proposed change being a mere 1/16th of an inch or 1.6 millimeters. Authorities maintained that such a slight adjustment would be crucial for sustaining the lobster population, as it would result in more smaller lobsters being released back into the ocean.
However, many in the fishing community contended that the new rule was unwarranted and would impose additional challenges on an industry that is already grappling with issues related to climate change, rising operational costs, and fresh regulations aimed at protecting marine life, particularly whales. Fishermen expressed their desire for either a postponement or a complete retraction of the regulation.
Maine’s Department of Marine Resources Commissioner Patrick Keliher stated that the regulation was withdrawn following a clear and unified response from industry representatives opposing the measure.
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission had previously indicated that an adjustment to the minimum size was necessary due to a significant decline of over 35% in the young lobster population in the Gulf of Maine, a vital fishing area. Recently, the commission decided to delay the start of the new regulation from January 1 to July 1, 2025.
Keliher, who also chairs the Atlantic States lobster board, underscored the importance of the regulation for maintaining compliance with the Interstate Fisheries Management Plan for Lobster. He indicated a need to collaborate with the board to devise a strategy that meets compliance goals.
“This plan will require contributions from industry stakeholders to ensure that we propose measures that deliver conservation benefits similar to those intended by the previous regulation,” Keliher noted in his statement.
The proposed size adjustment primarily targeted the Gulf of Maine, where data from the commission revealed a notable 39% decrease in lobster stocks when comparing averages from 2020-2022 to those from 2016-2018. Warming temperatures in the Gulf of Maine have been identified by researchers as a potential contributing factor to the challenges facing the lobster population.
