Steaming Ahead | April 2025

What a year 2025 has been! We are only three months in and the lobster industry has been through a whirlwind of change. And so has the MLA.

In just three short months, DMR has changed Commissioners, the MLA has new leadership, offshore wind development is off the table (for now), tariffs (maybe) are on the table, and the planned gauge increase is in the process of being repealed. All that was piled on top of the usual mix of activities such as the Legislature, Zone Council and Lobster Advisory Council meetings, the U.S.-Canada Town Meeting and the Maine Fishermen’s Forum.

B. Wish photo.

At the MLA Annual Meeting, MLA’s President Kristan Porter announced his retirement from the board after serving as president for seven years. The future of MLA remains bright as the Board elected Jarod Bray as Chairman, and Sonny Beal as Vice-Chairman to take over the helm.

Many were surprised when Pat Keliher announced his retirement in February after 14 years on the job. The MLA is grateful for Keliher’s tremendous dedication to the lobster industry, particularly for his critical role in convincing Congress to pause new whale rules and secure funding to launch Maine’s expansive new whale research program.

Carl Wilson, a 26-year DMR veteran, has been chosen to lead the agency. Lobstermen know Wilson best from his 16 years working as Maine’s lead lobster biologist. He does not officially hold to post until he goes through a public hearing and is confirmed by the Legislature. The MLA is optimistic that Wilson will provide continuity of leadership and a willingness to work with lobstermen as we navigate the difficult challenges that lie ahead.

While future whale rules loom as the most significant threat to Maine’s lobster industry, the gauge increase has dominated the policy landscape this year. Many lobstermen are frustrated and confused that a gauge increase was ever approved by managers while the majority of lobstermen are not worried about the health of the lobster resource. When asked at recent meetings if they think there is a problem with the resource or if measures should be put in place as a safeguard, most say ‘No’.

When Commissioner Keliher pulled Maine’s rulemaking for the July gauge increase, he also committed to work with lobstermen to find ways to keep the lobster stock resilient. While all indications are that the stock is healthy and not overfished, the overall abundance of lobster appears to be in decline. We will know a lot more when the ASMFC presents its new lobster stock assessment in October.

Lobstermen have been very willing to take part in these discussions but are frustrated that there was not more outreach before the gauge increase was approved. Lobstermen’s comments certainly affirm that lobsters and the fishery are changing. Lobstermen up and down the coast of Maine report similar observations: a significant increase in predators and lots of small lobsters in their traps. They are encouraged that the surveys no longer show a decline in young and newly settled lobsters. The settlement and recruit surveys have improved over the past two years. The V-notching rate, however, has declined from 80% in the late 2000’s to 57% in 2024. Maine lobstermen — we must do better!

All the while managers were working on Addendum 27 to protect lobstermen from declining landings, lobstermen were not concerned because they expected that landings would not remain at all-time highs. They have been adapting by reducing effort to control costs and remain profitable. They remain skeptical about management measures that could negatively impact the fishery with questionable benefits to the lobster stock. Certainly, a significant shortcoming of Addendum 27 was the lack of an economic impact study on the gauge increase.

There is also a shared frustration by Maine lobstermen that they are being asked to do more to protect the stock when the V-notch and oversize lobsters they return to the sea for conservation can be legally harvested by lobstermen from other management areas, notably Area 3 and the Outer Cape. Ironically, this is the very issue that prompted Addendum 27 in the first place.

The Georges Bank and Gulf of Maine lobster stocks were combined into a single stock in the 2015 lobster stock assessment because data showed that these stocks function as a single biological unit. As a result, the Area 1 and Area 3 lobster management areas no longer matched the lobster stock boundaries. The original goal of Addendum 27 was to standardize management measures among lobster management areas to prevent one area’s management approach from undermining the conservation benefit of another.

Nevertheless, Maine lobstermen continue to look ahead. They consistently talk about reviving programs that have waned in recent years, including the Lobster Seed Fund and lobster hatcheries. Other suggestions include outreach to increase Maine’s V-notching rate, lowering the maximum gauge, creating a male only season, and trap limits, but only if it would help Maine on the whale issue.

The good news is that the gauge increase is not likely to happen. In April, the ASMFC is holding a public hearing and accepting public comment on Addendum 32, which would repeal the gauge and vent increases.

It’s time for every lobsterman to think about what the lobster fishery must yield to keep everyone in business. Landings dropped to 86 million pounds in 2024, but it was still a good year for most given the $6.14 boat price. With the cost of doing business only getting more expensive, think about how your business would fare if landings AND lobster price declined. With the threat of tariffs and uncertainty over future regulations, that is a strong possibility.

Consider this. What if last year’s boat price had been $4, which is what you were paid in 2022? The value of the fishery would have dropped by $181 million from $528 million to less than $350 million. On an individual basis, a lobsterman landing 100,000 pounds would be down $217,000; those landing 75,000 pounds would be down $162,000; and those landing 50,000 pounds would be down $108,000 in revenue. That is significant!

The MLA remains focused on the survival of the lobster fishery and maintaining opportunity for future generations. It is lobstermen who have been the stewards of the resource and created the most sustainable fishery in the world. It is lobstermen who must now lead the way to maintain a healthy and profitable lobster fishery for years to come.

As always, stay safe of the water.