July 25, 2019 — The US east coast state of New Jersey is undertaking a “full review of its lobster management” practices, including possible changes to the minimum size, following a continued drop in landings, the New Jersey Evening Post reports this week.
The state landed just 193 metric tons in 2018, down even from the 268t harvested in 2011, according to the newspaper. However, lobster remains New Jersey’s most valuable commercial species, with its landings accounting for about half of the fishing fleet’s annual income.
That was $190.5 million in 2017, down from $193.0m in 2017, according to the latest available data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The current review is looking at all management measures and has had input from scientists and fisheries managers in European countries, according to the newspaper, which notes that several harvesters have been taken to court recently for exceeding minimum catch sizes.