PORTLAND, Maine — Gerry Cushman has seen Maine’s iconic lobster industry survive countless threats in his three decades on the water, but the latest challenge, while it may seem small, could be the biggest yet.
Crayfishing is a game of inches, and the number of inches is about to changeFisheries regulators are introducing a new rule that will require lobster fishermen to adhere to stricter minimum sizes for the crustaceans they catch.
The coming change may be only 1/16th of an inch, or 1.6 millimeters, but it will make a big difference for fishermen, whose fishing industry already faces major threats from climate change and new rules to protect whales, numerous lobster fishermen told The Associated Press.
However, interstate fisheries regulators say the change is necessary to preserve the future of the lobster population off the New England coast, as the species shifts further north with heating water.
The change has not only sparked a dispute between fishermen and regulators, but also confusion over the implications for international trade in one of the world’s largest countries. most popular seafood.
“We don’t need any more of them on our plates. There’s just a lot going on, one fight after another,” said Cushman, 55, a captain who fishes out of Port Clyde. “We don’t need anything in the market to bring the price of lobsters down.”
Fishermen are opposing the new rules, which go into effect next summer, because they fear that even such a small change could drastically alter their ability to fish. They also say it would put them at a competitive disadvantage compared to Canada, which catches the same species of lobster and has more lenient rules. Some fear that the change in size could flood the market with lobsters in the future.
However, recent studies have shown a decline in baby lobsters off the coast of Maine, which regulators at the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission say could be a harbinger of a decline in the catch.
“We are seeing a decline in the number of recruits, which will likely result in a decline in the number of adults later on,” said Caitlin Starks, a senior coordinator of the fisheries management plan with the commission.
The U.S. lobster catch is already declining: The catch in Maine, where most of the U.S. lobsters are caught, fell from 132.6 million pounds in 2016 to 93.7 million last year.
The minimum size change applies to the Gulf of Maine, a stretch of ocean off the coast of New England that is one of the world’s most important lobster fishing grounds. Under commission rules, the legal catch size for lobsters there would change if the Gulf’s juvenile lobster population were to decline by 35 percent.
Officials said last year that the shares fell 39% when comparing 2020-22 with 2016-18. This surprised both regulators and fishermen and led many fishermen to question the accuracy of the commission’s data.
Still, regulators say the minimum size on the gauges fishermen use to measure lobsters will increase to 3 5/16 inches (8.4 centimeters) on July 1 and will grow by another 1/16th inch two years later.
Some conservationists support the changes, which they say will protect lobsters from depletion by overfishing. That’s especially important “in light of unprecedented climate change in the Gulf of Maine,” said Erica Fuller, an attorney in the Conservation Law Foundation’s ocean program.
Scientists say the Gulf is warming faster than most of the world’s oceans.
“Analysis shows that the proposed increase in meter size will contribute to the long-term health and resilience of the lobster population by increasing the biomass of the spawning population,” Fuller said.
The changes do not apply to Canada, where the lobster fishery is even larger than in the U.S. Some fishing grounds there already allow smaller lobsters to be caught than under U.S. rules.
Canadian authorities and trade organizations are closely monitoring US regulations
This month, the Atlantic States Commission approved new rules to prevent the U.S. from importing sublegal lobsters from Canada. The Canadian government is “committed to working with the Canadian fishing industry to help ensure continued market access,” said Barre Campbell, a spokesperson for Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
The inability to sell lobsters to the U.S. could lead to Canadians becoming more dependent on other foreign markets, said Geoff Irvine, executive director of the Lobster Council of Canada. China is a major buyer for both countries.
“If we can’t sell that percentage of that size lobster to the U.S. anymore, we’ve got to find places to sell it,” Irvine said. “What does that mean for prices, what does that mean for the fishermen?”
The changes are likely to have a major impact on the lobster industry, but they may not trickle down to U.S. consumers, said John Sackton, a veteran seafood industry analyst. According to trade data, prices have fallen this summer compared with recent years. Whether that holds up depends in part on how big the catch is for the rest of the year, Sackton said.
Some scientists who study the fishery have supported the minimal change in size. Richard Wahle, a retired professor of marine science at the University of Maine who has studied lobsters for decades, called it a “sensible” measure to protect the future of the fishery.
But the lobster industry sees it differently, says Patrice McCarron, executive director of the Maine Lobstermen’s Association, the oldest and largest fishing industry association on the East Coast.
The association believes that the measure is not necessary at this time.
While recent lobster catches are lower than in the 2010s, the group argued in testimony to the commission that they are still much higher than in previous decades and that lobster fishermen also face “extreme regulatory uncertainty.” due to future whale regulations.”
Rep. Jared Golden, a Democratic congressman representing coastal Maine, introduced an amendment in July to block the size changes.
“It is clear that regulators need to work much more closely with fishermen to keep the industry sustainable and competitive,” Golden said.
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