Saving Seafood

MASSACHUSETTS: New Bedford Mayor Calls for Repeal of Lobster Size Limits New Bedford Mayor Calls for Repeal of Lobster Size Limits

February 4, 2024 — Mayor Jon Mitchell has penned a letter he hopes will help New Bedford lobstermen not feel the pinch come this summer.

Mitchell sent a letter today to Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission Executive Director Robert Beal pushing for the repeal of Addendum XXVII to the ASMFC’s lobster fishery management plan, which is set to take effect in July and will limit the catch size of lobsters.

“As Mayor of America’s top commercial fishing port, I write to urge the ASMFC to repeal Addendum XXVII concerning lobster gauge size,” Mitchell wrote.

“I submit that the ASMFC should listen to lobstermen and work with them on alternatives that would be far less draconian and far more effective at sustaining the fishery and the fishermen in the long term,” he wrote.

Read the full article at WBSM

 

Massachusetts lobster fishing limits to protect whales restored by appeals court

January 31, 2025 —  A federal appeals court on Thursday restored a U.S. agency rule restricting lobster and Jonah crab fishing off the Massachusetts coast to protect endangered whales, rejecting a claim that the agency did not deserve deference under a recent landmark Supreme Court case.

In a 3-0 decision, the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston said the National Marine Fisheries Service acted lawfully in banning from Feb. 1 to April 30 annually the use of vertical buoy lines in a 200-nautical-mile area of federal waters called the Massachusetts Restricted Area Wedge.

The Massachusetts Lobstermen’s Association sued to block the rule, saying a Dec. 2022 appropriations rider reflected the U.S. Congress’ intent not to extend emergency protections for North Atlantic right whales from earlier that year.

A federal district judge declared the rule void last March.

But in Thursday’s decision, Circuit Judge Seth Aframe called that a mistake because the rule was “in place” when the rider took effect, though it was not being enforced at that time.

Read the full article at Reuters

Trump tariffs worry lobster fishermen in Maine and Canada

January 31, 2025 — Leaders from the U.S. and Canada’s lobster fishing communities came together in Bar Harbor Wednesday to tackle what they said are pressing issues facing the industry.

At the top of mind at this year’s 21st annual meeting was the potential impact of President Donald Trump’s planned tariffs on Canadian products.

“These tariffs, if they actually happen, will badly impact Maine harvesters and the Maine lobster sector — just as it will impact Canadians,” said Geoff Irvine, the executive director of the Lobster Council of Canada.

Solving this issue could mean lobbying U.S. political figures, Irvine said.

Read the full article at Spectrum News 13

Appeals court reinstates lobster fishing limits to preserve right whales

January 31, 2025 — Conservation groups are praising a recent decision to reinstate protections for endangered North Atlantic right whales in a particularly precarious stretch of ocean off the coast of Massachusetts.

The First Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston decided Thursday to restrict lobster fishing, which in turn restores protections for endangered right whales. That decision overturned a district court verdict by reinstating a 2024 National Marine Fisheries Service rule that cordoned off a 200 square mile area of federal waters between February and April, when right whales are present.

“The First Circuit’s decision represents a major victory for right whale conservation,” said Jane Davenport, senior attorney at Defenders of Wildlife, who argued the case for conservation groups. “The wedge closure affects only a handful of lobstermen for three months but protects right whales from the deadly fishing gear entanglements driving this species towards extinction.”

Found along the East Coast, the whales’ migratory paths overlap with highly productive lobster fishing areas in Maine and Massachusetts, making entanglements in fishing gear one of the major threats for the animals. With a population of less than 400 and even fewer reproductively active females, right whales are approaching extinction with more than half a dozen threats to their existence, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries.

Read the full article at Maine Morning Star

Lobster industry hails UMaine study on economics of Maine fishery

January 30, 2025 — Researchers from the University of Maine have created a new, holistic measure to study the resilience of the Maine lobster industry, which is drawing praise from industry leaders for identifying the structural and market factors that impacted it in recent years.

That industry has seen dramatic fluctuations in value in recent years, spiking to a record USD 724 million (EUR 694 million) in 2021 before dropping to USD 388 million (EUR 372 million) in 2022. The UMaine team said it hopes to quantify some of the challenges causing those flucuations in new ways, which can help fisheries management – something members of the industry said is sorely needed.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

ME and NH reject lobster gauge increase, MA stands firm

January 28, 2025 — The New England lobster industry is facing some potential challenges.

Maine and New Hampshire have announced their decision to withdraw the proposed gauge increase to the minimum legal size for lobsters being caught, following strong opposition from the fishing community. Massachusetts has announced that it still supports the gauge increase, even following recent announcements from Maine and New Hampshire.

The Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR) recently held a meeting in Augusta to discuss the proposal which aimed at raising the minimum size limits for lobsters by 1/16 of an inch. The proposed as intended to address a reported 35 percent decline in the lobster population within Lobster Management Area 1 (LMA 1), as highlighted by data from the Atlantics States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC). The proposal has faced fierce opposition from the lobstering communities, who feared the economic repercussions of the increase.

New England Fishermen’s Stewardship Association (NEFSA) has strongly advocated for opposing the increase. Two days ago, NEFSA COO Dustin Delano stated, “Imagine losing 10 percent or 15 percent of your landings. For a fisherman catching 40,000-50,000 pounds of lobster annually, that could be a loss of up to $40,000 or $50,000- more than half of their take home income. Expenses like bait, fuel, gear, and boat payments would not decrease, but their livelihoods would.”

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

MAINE: Golden wants to ensure fishing areas are protected from offshore wind

January 27, 2025 — Amid efforts by President Donald Trump to halt future offshore wind efforts, U.S. Rep. Jared Golden is hoping to codify protections for lobster fishing in the Gulf of Maine.

“Maine’s fishermen deserve to know that waters critical to our historic, high-value industry are protected — not by promises, but by federal law,” Golden said. “President Trump’s recent Executive Order provides some measure of reprieve, but we need a more permanent solution.”

Even though the fishing area is currently excluded from approved offshore wind development areas, Golden wants to “take protections for Maine’s fisheries out of the discretion of the chief executive and codify it into law,” according to the news release from his office. Just days into his second term, Trump has taken steps to undo the offshore wind advances of the Biden administration.

Read the full article at Maine Morning Star

NEW HAMPSHIRE: Ayotte rejects new guidelines on minimum size for catchable lobsters

January 23, 2025 — Gov. Kelly Ayotte said Tuesday the state would not comply with new guidelines that increase the minimum catchable lobster length, calling them “unnecessary and disruptive.”

Maine has also said it would not follow the regulations set out by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, which aim to address declines in smaller, young lobster populations. Massachusetts is also affected by the guidelines.

Read the full article at the New Hampshire Bulletin

MASSACHUSETTS: Unlike other New England states, Massachusetts supports controversial new lobster harvesting rules

January 23, 2025 — Massachusetts officials say they support a new lobster harvesting rule aimed at conserving young lobster populations, which have been in decline off New England’s coast amid climate change and other pressures.

The new rules, which have drawn opposition by the lobster industry, would further restrict the size of lobsters that can be legally harvested. Maine and New Hampshire officials recently rejected the measure, but Massachusetts officials voiced strong support, saying it would help preserve the future of New England’s signature crustacean.

The measure “would have clear benefits to the lobster stock long-term,” said Daniel McKiernan, director of Massachusetts’ Division of Marine Fisheries. “We are committed to working through this situation to reach a resolution that is supportive of both conservation and Massachusetts’ leading lobster industry.”

US Representative Jared Golden, a Democrat whose Maine district includes Bangor, opposed the rule from its first introduction. He said the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission should potentially have less power.

“Lobstermen must have a seat at the table in crafting the rules for their industry,” said Golden, adding: “Mainers harvest more than 90 percent of all lobster caught in this country, and I cannot for the life of me understand why people in the mid-Atlantic should get a say in how we manage our fishery in the Gulf of Maine.”

Read the full article at the Boston Globe

North American lobster industry strong, but potential tariff issues loom

January 22, 2025 — The North American lobster industry is projected to have similar volumes and landing patterns as it has had in years past in 2025, but U.S. President Donald Trump’s repeated mentions of 25 percent tariffs on Canadian products could cause disruptions.

The North American lobster supply has been relatively stable for a decade, averaging between 300 million and 350 million pounds each year. According to a panel of experts at the Global Seafood Market Conference, taking place 19 to 23 January in Palm Desert, California, U.S.A., totals in 2025 will largely remain the same, with the potential for a slight decline in catch totals in the U.S. state of Maine.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource