July 27, 2026 — In a move to protect small-scale lobstermen from tangled gear and bigger boats, the Lobster Zone A Council voted unanimously last week to advance a proposal expanding a restricted fishing area in Englishman Bay.
The plan aims to make fishing safer and more productive for fishermen out of Jonesport, Beals and Jonesboro.
Regulations now limit a section of the bay to lobstermen using buoyed lines with up to four traps per line — a rule lobstermen established in a 2011 agreement.
The new proposal pushes that restricted zone out 3 miles to federal waters on the western end, maintains the existing eastern border and allows fishermen inside the zone to set up to five traps per line.
The proposal also aligns with legislative changes to right whale protections set to expire in December 2028, though the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee voted last week to extend the start of those rules to 2035. Full congressional approval is required to enact the delay.