It sounds like a fish tale of enormous proportions: Put fewer lobster traps in the cold waters off Maine, maybe a lot fewer, and still catch the same number of the crustaceans.
Yet state officials and even some lobstermen say the idea has merit and could reduce fishermen’s costs at a time when the $300 million industry is confronting a myriad challenges, from falling prices to higher bait and fuel expenses.
Supporters believe that the ocean floor off Maine is so thick with lobster pots – an estimated 2.5 million, or about two for every resident – that they don’t work efficiently. Fewer traps may not reduce the size of the catch, they say, because more lobsters would be caught in each trap.