Lobster fishermen work at sunrise off Kennebunkport in 2022.

It may not sound like much, but when it comes to lobster, 1/16th of an inch can make a big difference.

That’s the increase in minimum harvestable lobster size that is set to go into effect next year, mandated by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission with the aim of protecting lobster populations off our coast, which have been declining since reaching record highs in 2016.

However, the Maine lobster industry, which accounts for most of the U.S. haul, worries that increasing the minimum size of lobsters Americans are legally allowed to harvest will hand significant advantages to their Canadian counterparts – adding one more point of concern to an industry that has more than its share right now.

Maybe in instances like this one, competition between countries is inevitable.

But as both Canada and the U.S. share the North Atlantic, an economically and ecologically important body of water in an environmentally perilous time, they should look for ways to manage that resource together, so that it benefits both parties.

The lobster-length debate is just one place that is possible.

According to the Maine Lobstermen’s Association, representatives of the Maine lobster industry recently met with Canadian officials to discuss the planned increase in U.S. minimum size, which was set to go into effect Jan. 1, 2025, but will now likely be delayed at least six months, with additional increases planned in later years.

There are differences in the way the fishery works on either side of the border, with different approaches to management and conservation. But everyone should be united in their desire to keep the resources healthy and productive.

With that in mind, it doesn’t make sense to have some lobstermen work under some rules while others work under different ones. A larger minimum size in Canada couldn’t help but disrupt markets. It could force American officials to take steps to counteract Canadian rules rather than focus wholly on conservation.

What no one needs is a counterproductive battle of wills between the two countries, where international competition means the fishery isn’t as managed as well as it should be, or where lobstermen who follow the rules are put at a disadvantage – especially not now.

Lobster size isn’t the only concern facing the industry. Fishermen are facing new mandates on gear and reporting, as well as seasonal closures also designed to conserve the population. Those are much-needed developments, but they are costly in a business with tight margins.

The North Atlantic lobster population remains historically high. But regulators report declines in the population of young lobster.

That fact adds a lot of uncertainty to the future of the industry, particularly as climate change caused by the burning of fossil fuels continues to disrupt the ocean in ways we are only beginning to understand.

The people who pull lobsters from the ocean must unite to steward the industry through this moment, regardless of what side of the border they are on.