November 15, 2022 — U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King, and Representative Chellie Pingree, have announced that two Maine organizations will be receiving a total of $1.2 million from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Sea Grant American Lobster Initiative to support the health of Maine’s lobster industry and help lobstermen adapt to any potential regulatory changes.
The funding will be used by the Maine Department of Marine Resources to research new, innovative gear technology, and by the Gulf of Maine Lobster Foundation to improve information and communications systems for lobstermen. These grants come after the Maine delegation included language in the 2022 appropriations package that required Sea Grant to utilize this funding to support gear modernization, according to a press release.