Saving Seafood

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

Framework finally implemented as Gulf of Maine haddock quota increase takes effect

March 9, 2026 — After weeks of frustration from New England groundfish sector managers and stop-fishing notices for some vessels, Framework 69 has finally been approved and implemented by federal regulators.

According to a March 5 notice from NOAA Fisheries, the agency approved Framework Adjustment 69 to the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan and announced final catch limits for fishing year 2025. The action officially went into effect March 9.

Framework 69 establishes annual catch limits and management measures for multiple groundfish stocks, including a significant increase to the Gulf of Maine haddock quota– an increase fishermen have been waiting on for months.

The approval comes after mounting pressure from industry leaders who argued the delay was forcing boats to tie up during one of the most productive fishing periods of the year. Just days before NOAA issues its final notice, six New England groundfish sector managers formally petitioned the National Marine Fisheries Service for relief, calling the delay in approving the framework “frankly ridiculous.”

At the time, several sectors had already begun issuing stop-fishing notices after vessels exhausted their Gulf of Maine haddock allocations under the interim limits.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

MAINE: Maine fishing industry continues to reel in big money despite fewer lobsters being caught

March 9, 2026 — New numbers released Friday show Maine’s fishing industry continues to reel in big money, topping half a billion dollars now for a 14th straight year.

Lobster is still king, topping all fisheries, with nearly 79 million pounds hauled in last year.

However, 2025 was Maine’s lowest lobster catch in 17 years. Local lobstermen say it’s not because there are fewer lobsters in the sea, just fewer fishermen to catch them.

Read the full article at WGME

Maine commercial fisheries topped $600M in 2025, led by the lobster industry

March 6, 2026 — Maine’s commercial fishermen earned more than $619 million in 2025, marking the 14th consecutive year the state’s fisheries have surpassed $500 million in value, according to preliminary data released by the Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR).

Harvesters earned $619,053,489 last year, driven largely by the state’s lobster industry.

“Once again, Maine fishermen and sea farmers in 2025 delivered premium products sought by consumers around the world who value nutritious, sustainably harvested seafood,” Gov. Janet Mills said in a statement.

Lobster remained Maine’s most valuable fishery by far. Harvesters landed 78.8 million pounds of American lobster in 2025, with a total value of $461.4 million. The average boat price was $5.85 per pound, the third-highest on record.

Still, officials say inflation and other pressures affected the industry. DMR Commissioner Carl Wilson said that when adjusted for inflation, the overall value of the lobster fishery was closer to what harvesters earned in 2008.

Read the full article at News Center Maine

MAINE: Thousands gather for 51st annual Maine Fishermen’s Forum in Rockport

March 6, 2026 — The annual Maine Fishermen’s Forum kicked off in Rockport on Thursday. The multi-day event aims to provide education to help strengthen Maine’s marine industry.

A melting pot of fishermen, researchers, scientists, and more, that’s how organizers described the annual Maine Fishermen’s Forum.

“Dealers, harvesters, educators, everyone at the table having a voice, and it’s not dock talk, it’s fact-based,” said Katie Werner, Vice President of the Maine Fishermen’s Forum. “Every year there’s different hot topics that are happening in the blue economy, and we want to make sure that the forum has the most opportune time to get whatever is happening, education-based, scientific-based, wherever, whatever we’re on top of it.”

Read the full article at Fox 22