A recently released survey of Maine lobster harvesters and processers found the industry remains worried that right whale conservation measures will impact their business, although roughly half of respondents expressed optimism for the fishery’s future.
The Maine Department of Marine Resource (DMR) said 1,366 people responded to its survey, which it released in September. Nearly all of the respondents were harvesters, although 66 dealers also participated. According to DMR, roughly 29 percent of the people involved in the state lobster industry took part in the survey.
DMR will use the results of this survey to document the concerns and priorities of the Maine lobster fleet.
The department reported that 68 percent of respondents were “very concerned” that future whale conservation measures would impact the way they fish, while another 23 percent reported that they were “somewhat concerned.” Conservation groups have urged pot fisheries like the Maine lobster industry to move away from traditional gear, which uses vertical lines that can entangle endangered North Atlantic right whales, but commercial fishers in New England have largely resisted the call.
Maine fishers in particular are wary of proponents of ropeless, or on-demand, gear, after regulators came close to forcing the entire fishery to adopt the technology. A court ultimately found that the government documentation justifying that regulation was flawed, and it was rolled back. In 2023, Congress passed a measure preventing the government from overhauling Maine lobster regulations for five years.
In September, the New England Fishery Management Council tabled a proposal that would have simply enabled some fishers to use ropeless gear in specific circumstances following public pushback. Though council staff insisted that the proposal would not require fishers to switch to ropeless gear, opposition to any development in on-demand technology remains strong.
The Maine DMR survey confirms this, with more than 90 percent of respondents reporting that they were very or somewhat concerned with “future whale conservation measures.” 26 percent of respondents listed right whale conservation regulations as their area of greatest concern for the industry.
However, costs was the number one area of concern for the industry’s sustainability, with 32 percent of respondents selecting the costs of bait, gear, fuel, and boats as the primary issue facing the industry. Future whale conservation measures was number two, while market uncertainty over tariffs and prices came in at number three with 17 percent. Crew availability and aging of the fleet were also listed as main concerns, receiving 13 percent and 8 percent of the vote, respectively.
According to members of the industry, the three biggest challenges to “the long-term health of the lobster resource” were predation pressures (27 percent), habitat degradation (25 percent), and changes in lobster distribution (21 percent). About 63 percent of respondents said the lobster resource was stable, although 26 percent said it was decreasing and 8 percent said it was increasing.
DMR said the survey will inform its discussions with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) over future lobster regulations. The ASMFC Lobster Management Board had been implementing new gauge and escape vent measurements, but those proposals were repealed earlier this year due to strong opposition. The survey found that frustrations are still high in the Maine lobster industry, with 58 percent of participants claiming they were “very concerned” about ASMFC Plan changes, with another 30 percent claiming they were “somewhat concerned.”
Still, the lobster industry seems largely optimistic about the future of the fishery. Roughly half of respondents said they were either very or somewhat optimistic, while 26 percent said they were neutral. Only 6 percent said they were very pessimistic, and 21 percent said they were somewhat pessimistic.
Department staff are hosting several meetings throughout the state to go over the survey results.
“We’re grateful for the participation of industry members in this survey,” the department said in a release. “Presentations at upcoming zone council meetings will provide details, insights, and an opportunity for industry to ask questions and discuss results with DMR staff.”
