PORTLAND, Maine — July 25, 2014 — In a ruling that was expected, a federal judge has rescinded a consent decree that had been imposed on the Maine Lobstermen’s Association since 1958.
The federal Department of Justice, which had implemented the decree against the Maine Lobstermen’s Association 56 years ago after the association lost an antitrust lawsuit, had indicated it would not object to the restrictions being lifted.
In a prepared statement released Thursday, the Maine Lobstermen’s Association indicated that having the decree vacated after adhering to it for more than 50 years was like a “breath of fresh air.” With about 1,200 members, the lobstermen’s group is the largest commercial fishing industry trade association in Maine.
Judge Brock Hornby issued his ruling in repealing the final judgment on Monday in U.S. District Court in Portland.
Mary Ann Mason, a Washington,D.C.-based attorney who represents the Maine Lobstermen’s Association, said in the statement that the decree had long outlived its purpose and was no longer needed to protect market competition.
“The lobster fishing industry has changed fundamentally in the more than five decades since the final judgment was entered,” Mason said in the statement. “During that time, federal and state environmental, economic and fisheries management regulations have fundamentally altered the industry.”
The decree was a result of a lawsuit the Department of Justice brought against the organization in 1957, after federal officials became concerned that members of the group were trying to fix the market by setting a minimum price that lobstermen would be paid for their catch.
Read the full story at The Bangor Daily News