Sustainability
Maine lobster fishermen have created one of the world’s most sustainable and ethical fisheries by establishing a culture of conservation that has been maintained for generations.
Some examples:
Every confirmed breeding female caught by a Maine lobster fisherman is marked on its tail with a distinctive and permanent “V-notch” to ensure it will never be harvested;
Every lobster a Maine lobster fisherman lands is measured on the spot to ensure it does not have a carapace smaller than 3¼ inches or larger than 5 inches. The maximum legal size makes Maine’s fishery unique; Massachusetts and Canadian lobstermen do not have a maximum size cut-off.
Maine lobstermen recognize both breeders and large lobsters as dynamic and essential participants in the creation of future generations of lobsters.
Sustainability & ethical fishing practices are not just laws for Maine fishermen, they are an integral part of our way of life, and represent our moral code of conduct.
“Policies like protecting egg-bearing females through tail notching, strict minimum and maximum size limits, bait regulations to prevent any new diseases from entering the Gulf of Maine, no wet storage of lobster gear and biodegradable trap panels are all sophisticated strategies that have facilitated a healthy fishery for a long time. Add these measures to all of the whale mitigation strategies and you have one of the most carefully regulated fisheries in the world. In 2020, gear marking requirements were expanded to require all Maine lobster gear be colored purple to better identify it on entangled whales.”
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