Saving Seafood

Inaugural North Atlantic Blue BioTech Summit working to boost seafood industry via tech innovation

March 23, 2026 — The U.S. fishery and aquaculture industries are leaving money on the table, but a collection of investment groups and scientific institutions are working to change that via the recently launched North Atlantic Blue BioTech Summit.

Begun by the Bigelow Laboratory of Ocean Sciences in East Boothbay, Maine, U.S.A., as well as aquaculture investment firm Hatch Blue, the inaugural summit took place on 19 March and brought investors, startups, educators, academics, and more to Portland, Maine, to discuss how biotech solutions can unlock value for the seafood industry.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

MAINE: Vinalhaven lobsterman petitions Supreme Court over GPS tracking mandate

March 20, 2026 — A Maine lobsterman is continuing his fight against a GPS tracking mandate, hoping to bring the case before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Frank Thompson, a fifth-generation lobsterman from Vinalhaven, and the Florida-based Pacific Legal Foundation jointly petitioned the Supreme Court this month to hear an appeal in his federal district court case.

Since late 2023, federally permitted lobster boats on the East Coast have been required to have a global positioning system (GPS) transmitter aboard at all times. The federal Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission enacted the mandate to collect data about fisheries stock and aid in conservation efforts, including for endangered whales.

The Maine Department of Marine Resources later adopted the mandate, which also collects data for “emerging ocean uses, and enforcement.”

Read the full article at Bangor Daily News

Lobster rolls approach $50, but Bostonians appear happy to shell out

March 19, 2026 — How much would you pay for a lobster roll? Martha Stewart recently declared that she wouldn’t serve a one that cost $60 at her new restaurant at Foxwoods Resort Casino. But in the swanky Hamptons, chefs are bracing for a spendy summer, predicting prices will approach $50.

Maine lobster landings have declined for the fourth straight year, state fishing regulators said, as the industry struggles with soaring expenses, including inflation, and climate change, which has driven more lobsters north into Canadian waters.

Lobster rolls aren’t quite $50 in Boston, but they’re getting close. That’s put restaurateurs in a precarious position over an iconic menu item tourists and locals demand. In many cases, it’s better to break even than to lose customers.

“I can’t really charge you $100 for a lobster roll, even though, over the last two weeks, maybe I should be charging $70 or $80,” said Row 34’s Jeremy Sewall, whose restaurants are known for creamy lobster rolls.

Kathy Sidell of Saltie Girl has always tried to keep her lobster roll at $42 or under. “On rare occasions when the prices skyrocket, I will raise the price to $44. But it’s such a signature dish for us. I believe we should keep it as reasonable as possible, in spite of at some points breaking even or even losing money,” she said.

Read the full article at The Boston Globe

MAINE: Maine lobster landings fall for fourth straight year

March 13, 2026 — Maine lobstermen hauled in fewer lobsters again in 2025, marking the fourth straight year of declining landings for the state’s most valuable fishery.

According to the Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR), fishermen landed 78.8 million pounds of lobster in 2025, down from more than 110 million pounds in 2021. The total marks the lowest harvest since 2028, though it remains higher than historic averages seen in the 1990s and early 2000s.

The value of the catch also dropped. State officials say the fishery brought in more than $461 million at the dock last year, a decline of over $75 million compared with the previous season.

“This combination of factors likely contributed to the decline from 2024 to 2025 in the lobster harvest of more than eight million pounds and a decrease in the overall value of more than $75 million,” said Carl Wilson, commissioner of the Maine DMR.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

MAINE: Surf and dearth: Maine’s lobster industry faces a reckoning

March 12, 2026 — Next time you go to a seafood restaurant, you may have trouble ordering one of the ocean’s delicacies. Maine’s lobster industry declined for the fourth-straight year, state regulators said this month, in a continuing drop that marks a 17-year low for the state’s lobster haul. This has led people in the state lobster business to sound warning bells, given that the vast majority of lobster in the United States comes from them.

Why is Maine’s lobster industry having trouble?

The principal cause is a large drop in the number of fishing expeditions in the state. Maine lobster harvesters “took over 21,000 fewer fishing trips in 2025 than in 2024, a nearly 10% decline in fishing effort,” Carl Wilson, the commissioner of the Department of Marine Resources, said in the press release. These fishermen were forced to take fewer trips because “rising bait, fuel and gear prices made many trips economically unviable,” said the Portland Press Herald. Shifting climate patterns also play a role, causing a “late molt that limited access to the soft-shell lobsters that feed Maine tourists.” Delays like these can lead to a much less bountiful harvest.

Read the full article at The Week

MAINE: Evan Whidden named Maine Lobstermen’s Association 2026 Marine Patrol Officer of the Year

March 12, 2026 — Marine Patrol Specialist Evan Whidden was again honored with the Maine Lobstermen’s Association Marine Patrol Officer of the Year Award during the recent Fishermen’s Forum. Specialist Whidden, who joined the Marine Patrol in 2020 and serves in Section Two which runs from Harpswell to Bremen, also received the honor in 2023.

In nominating Specialist Whidden, Sergeant Wesley Dean recognized both his work ethic and professionalism.

“In 2025, Evan logged 683 hours underway and hauled 9,421 lobster traps, making him the most productive Marine Patrol Specialist in the state and helping ensure the lobster fishery remained well monitored and effectively enforced,” said Sergeant Dean.

“As captain, Evan’s steady leadership and sound judgment are valued by officers within his section and division,” said Sergeant Dean. “Officers trust his decision-making, appreciate his experience, and seek opportunities to work with him. He is self-motivated, knowledgeable about the fisheries, and leads by example during day-to-day operations”

Read the full article at Penobscot Bay Pilot

Fishing vessel sinks off the coast of Maine; three rescued

March 12, 2026 — The U.S. Coast Guard rescued three fishermen from the water approximately 23 miles south of Boothbay Harbor, Maine, on Wednesday morning after their vessel sank.

A crew from Coast Guard Station Boothbay Harbor located the 40-foot vessel Vesta Renee at 9:01 a.m. and rescued the three men from the water within one minute of arriving on scene. One crewmember reported minor hypothermia, while the other two had no reported injuries.

Read the full article at National Fisherman

MAINE: Scallop aquaculture offers promising opportunity for Maine’s working waterfronts

March 11, 2026 — The Fishermen’s Forum has always been a place where innovation and new opportunities are discussed, and this year’s edition was no exception.

On Saturday afternoon, UMaine postdoctoral researcher Phoebe Jekielek moderated a Maine Scallop Farming Roundtable, which brought together four Maine sea farmers currently growing scallops. The group’s experience and methods ranged from veteran scallop farmer Marsden Brewer from Pen Bay Farmed Scallops to smaller-scale operations such as Greg Foote’s Dirigo Marine Services and Michael Scannel’s Saco Bay Sea Farms.

In the last few decades, Maine Sea Grant and UMaine have dedicated efforts to building a scallop aquaculture sector. With Brewer’s help, they have fostered a relationship with sea farmers in Japan, where scallops are a key product of their seafood industry. A recent trip to Japan offered some of the panelists an opportunity to learn about state-of-the-art technologies and farm setups, and much of that knowledge was shared at the scallop roundtable.

After the panelists introduced themselves and their farms, Jekielek opened the floor to questions from the audience.

Read the full article a Mount Dessert Islander

MAINE: Maine lobster landings down again after 2010s boom

March 10, 2026 — Maine lobster harvesters took over 21,000 fewer fishing trips last year, which likely contributed to another decline in total lobster landings.

That’s according to preliminary data released Friday from the Maine Department of Marine Resources

Maine’s lobsterman landed 78.8 million total pounds in 2025, which topped all other fisheries in the state, but is about seven million pounds less than the 2024 harvest.

DMR Commissioner Carl Wilson said the decline represents a return to normalcy after a major boom in the 2010s.

“78, 79 million pounds of lobster; that would have been absolutely celebrated as just amazing,” he said. “But when you had the spikes as high as we did in 2015, 2016… when you start to return to Earth, it hits a little bit different.”

Read the full article at Maine Public

MAINE: Maine’s catch of lobster declines again as high costs and climate change impact industry

March 9, 2026 — Maine’s catch of lobsters declined for the fourth straight year, state fishing regulators said Friday, as the industry continued to grapple with soaring business costs, inflation and a changing ocean.

The haul of lobsters, Maine’s best known export and a key piece of the state’s identity and culture, has declined every year since 2021, and some scientists have cited as a reason warming oceans that spur migration to Canadian waters.

The sector brought in 78.8 million pounds (35.7 million kilograms) of lobsters in 2025, down from more than 110 million pounds (49.9 million kilograms) in 2021, regulators said. It was the lowest total since 2008.

Inflation hit the industry hard last year, and there were more than 21,000 fewer fishing trips than in 2024, according to Carl Wilson, commissioner of the Maine Department of Marine Resources. Market uncertainty due to tariffs and a late start to the busy portion of the fishing season also played roles, he said.

Read the full article at the Associated Press