March 7, 2022 — Lobsterman Brian Cates lives so far at the edge of Maine he can look out the windows of his house and see Canadian boats out in Canadian waters. It puts the fourth-generation lobsterman living on the eastern-most extreme of the U.S. in a situation unlike many of the lobstermen up and down the New England coast.
Years ago, Cates said that he and other fishermen around Cutler, Maine would go into the woods in the winter when the fishing slowed and cut pulp wood to sell to the local paper mills. But the paper mills went away. And over the last decade or so, more individuals have been turning to lobstering to earn a living, Cates said.
Over the last few years, lobstering has been good for the industry most associated with Maine, an industry that supports communities up and down its coasts. In February, Maine announced that in 2021 lobstermen hauled in 108 million pounds of lobster, netting a record-breaking $724.9 million.
But Cates and other New England lobstermen are worried about how the coming regulations issued by the National Marine Fisheries Service will affect their livelihoods.
The rules are intended to protect the approximately 336 North Atlantic right whales still alive today, once the prey of the historical whaling industry.
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