Saving Seafood

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

NEW HAMPSHIRE: Ayotte says New Hampshire won’t comply with new lobster minimum size guidelines

January 22, 2025 — New Hampshire Gov. Kelly Ayotte said Tuesday that New Hampshire will not comply with new guidelines that she said would hurt the state’s lobster industry.

In a letter to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, Ayotte said New Hampshire will not adopt new guidelines that increase the minimum size for lobsters caught in the Gulf of Maine.

“Complying with these guidelines could lead to a loss of a third of lobstermen’s catch this year at a time when lobstermen are already facing declining yields,” Ayotte said in the letter. “Moreover, our lobster industry helps drive summer tourism, with visitors flocking from all over to visit New Hampshire’s historic lobster pounds.”

The guidelines would increase the minimum size for catchable lobsters over the next two year

Read the full article at WMUR

NH and Maine lobstermen push back against new size rule amid economic fears

January 15, 2025 — A new regulation on catchable lobster size could significantly reduce lobster hauls this summer, according to industry members, with local lawmakers expressing concerns about its impact on the Seacoast economy.

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC), which oversees certain species along the Atlantic coast, is implementing a change that will increase the minimum size for catchable lobsters in states including Maine and New Hampshire over the next two years.

The regulation involves an increase in the size of the gauge used by fishermen to measure lobster length to determine if they can be caught or must be released. The minimum gauge size will rise from 3.25 inches to 3.375 inches by July 1, 2025, as stated by the ASMFC. This size will further increase to 3.5 inches by July 1, 2027.

Read the full article at Seacoastonline