January 28, 2025 — The New England lobster industry is facing some potential challenges.
Maine and New Hampshire have announced their decision to withdraw the proposed gauge increase to the minimum legal size for lobsters being caught, following strong opposition from the fishing community. Massachusetts has announced that it still supports the gauge increase, even following recent announcements from Maine and New Hampshire.
The Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR) recently held a meeting in Augusta to discuss the proposal which aimed at raising the minimum size limits for lobsters by 1/16 of an inch. The proposed as intended to address a reported 35 percent decline in the lobster population within Lobster Management Area 1 (LMA 1), as highlighted by data from the Atlantics States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC). The proposal has faced fierce opposition from the lobstering communities, who feared the economic repercussions of the increase.
New England Fishermen’s Stewardship Association (NEFSA) has strongly advocated for opposing the increase. Two days ago, NEFSA COO Dustin Delano stated, “Imagine losing 10 percent or 15 percent of your landings. For a fisherman catching 40,000-50,000 pounds of lobster annually, that could be a loss of up to $40,000 or $50,000- more than half of their take home income. Expenses like bait, fuel, gear, and boat payments would not decrease, but their livelihoods would.”