lobster industry

Published
February 6, 2023

Regulators invite comments on plan to increase legal size of lobsters

Recent surveys that show declining levels of young lobsters are a concern for the future of the fishery, and the rules aim at maintaining a breeding population.
Published
January 22, 2023

What do Mainers say when it comes to the ethics of eating lobster? Pass the butter

Whether the fishery is harming the endangered right whale is a matter of vehement debate, but local chefs, restaurateurs, fishmongers and ordinary people are still cracking into Maine's iconic crustacean.
Published
December 28, 2022

Commentary: Lobster deal demonstrates power of bipartisanship

Just as lobsters go through the disruptive, vulnerable shedding process as they grow, the industry itself must now prepare for an uncomfortable period of upheaval.
Published
December 27, 2022

Vanishing right whale must remain on endangered list, government says

Protection of the whale is a source of dispute between conservationists and commercial fishermen because one of the top threats to the animals is entanglement in fishing gear.
Published
December 21, 2022

Lobster legislation a ‘Christmas miracle’ for Maine’s industry – if it passes

Maine's congressional delegation and Gov. Janet Mills on Wednesday made their case for the six-year pause on new lobstering regulations. If approved, money for developing new fishing practices could start flowing this spring.
Published
December 20, 2022

To protect lobstermen, spending bill may speed whales’ extinction, activists say

Maine lawmakers pushed for a provision that would block stricter federal regulations aimed at protecting right whales from entanglements in fishing gear.
Published
November 18, 2022

Lobster fishing rules to protect right whales will be delayed 2 years, judge says

Lobstermen are relieved that new, stricter rules to protect endangered North Atlantic right whales will be delayed until 2024, giving regulators more time to address the concerns of fishermen and environmentalists.
Published
November 16, 2022

Maine lobsters to lose another sustainability label over threat to whales

The Maine lobster catch has carried the Marine Stewardship Council's blue-and-white 'eco-label' for years, but a legal case will result in the certification being suspended.
Published
November 7, 2022

Maine lobstering group backs new speed limit on ships to protect whales

The Maine Lobstermen's Association says the first such restriction in over a decade illustrates how little shipping has been regulated compared to the lobster industry.
Published
October 24, 2022

Endangered whale’s decline slows, but population continues to fall

One of the biggest challenges facing the right whales today is that the number of female whales capable of breeding appears to be falling.