January 4, 2016 — A recent lobster stock assessment shows the population of the state’s famous bottom-dwelling crustacean at record highs in the Gulf of Maine.
Through data collected by fishery-dependent and fishery-independent sources, the stock assessment gives fishermen and scientists a picture of the condition of the economically important stock.
According to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, the 2015 benchmark stock assessment for lobsters shows the stock of crustaceans in the Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank is not depleted and overfishing is not occurring.
However, the situation for the stock in southern New England is far less clear, with abundance estimates appearing to decline dramatically since the late 1990s to record-low levels.
Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission Director of Communications Tina Berger said stock assessments for lobsters and other species are not done every year since it often takes a couple years to compile the data. The last assessment done for lobsters was released in 2009.