June 16, 2026 — Consumers are willing to pay a premium for lobster harvested with ropeless fishing technology designed to reduce whale entanglement risks, according to new research from the University of Maine.
The study, led by Qiujie “Angie” Zheng, associate professor of business analytics at UMaine’s Maine Business School, found that consumers would pay an average of $3.42 more for a lobster roll when informed that the lobster was caught using ropeless gear — particularly when messaging emphasized animal welfare.
Zheng was careful to frame the findings in context. “These findings do not suggest that Maine’s lobster industry needs to change its current practices,” she said. “Rather, they provide insight into how consumers might respond if ropeless technology were adopted.”