In the News | November 2025

MLA Board meeting Summary

The MLA board of directors met on October 1 in Belfast. Chairman Jarod Bray opened the meeting by welcoming guests.

Board member Gerry Cushman updated the board on the challenges facing his bait business, which has been heavily impacted by new tariffs. Price per pound has already increased by 10 cents and will continue to rise as shortages develop. Those who haven’t yet seen price increases are likely purchasing from suppliers still working through stock bought before the tariffs took effect. MLA is working with Senator Collins’ office on this issue.

ASMFC is proposing to cut next year’s menhaden quota by up to 60%, which would sharply reduce supply. The cut is being driven by a change to the computer model and the need to preserve menhaden to offset the decline of other forage fish, like herring. MLA strongly opposes such a deep cut. However, board members noted that despite landing the entire state and episodic quota, menhaden landings remain slow. Others commented that the menhaden coming up from the mid-Atlantic are also much smaller in size.

Patrice McCarron reported back on the latest round of Zone Council meetings. DMR is presenting the lobster industry survey results. At the request of the Legislature’s Marine Resources Committee, DMR is also soliciting feedback on whether the percentage of second-zone tags allowed outside a lobsterman’s home zone should change and whether to consider allowing two licenses to fish from one boat. DMR also informed the councils that the department will seek legislative authority to take emergency action, only if needed, when a large aggregation of right whales overlaps with Maine lobster gear, as happened last winter around Jeffreys Basin.

Lobster zone councils appear opposed to allowing two licenses from one boat; the zones are split on the need to change the percentage of second zone tags. Zone G voted to move forward with a zone-wide survey to revisit exit ratios. A similar survey was initiated by Zone F at a previous meeting. Zone G also discussed right whales as the state prepares for a potential visit from the whales again on Jeffreys. Board members discussed the potential for second zone trap tag changes, emphasizing that this is currently a legislative resolve—not a bill—and is unlikely to move forward because there is not uniform support across all zones.

The board discussed the lobster industry survey results. Some were concerned that the survey contained leading questions that may have influenced responses. Others worried that that the threat of management changes may have influenced responses. Board members were surprised by the high percentage of respondents who said the industry is stable and that landings are not in decline as that does not match what many are seeing. The timing of the survey in August may have contributed to this. On the positive side, an board member who fishes offshore reported catching larger, healthier, and mostly male lobsters, though catch is down overall. The board agreed that lobster size and abundance vary from year to year and zone to zone, but the shared challenge across the fishery is rising operating costs.

Board members will continue to reflect on their own operations and the outlook for the fishery. While the survey results suggest most fishermen feel neutral to positive about the future, MLA board members will carefully monitor the health of the fishery and lobstering businesses to track the level of concern for the future.

Patrice provided several policy updates. The New England Fishery Management Council’s proposed alternative gear marking framework is not moving forward. The proposal was delayed; NMFS will issue a formal Request for Information (RFI) to get comments from the public and reconsider industry outreach. The Coast Guard has withdrawn its request for comment on the removal of navigational buoys again. The lobster stock assessment results will be discussed on October 27 at the ASMFC Lobster Board Meeting.

The board discussed strategies to connect with members. The MLA Board is largely new and it is important for members to connect with them. Meetings are not a popular way for lobstermen to get together, so MLA will consider other ways. MLA staff will continue to strategize our communication approach to convey MLA’s work and find opportunities to interact with the board.

The board strongly supported MLA staff participation in the St. George School event, supplying T-shirts and leading a school-wide presentation on the importance of lobster to the community. The board agreed to hold another board retreat in January, focused on annual review and future planning. Membership renewals continue to come in; response remains strong. A new associate director has been hired. Chris Payne will start on October 6.

Board members reported that fishing has had a few good runs, but nothing that has lasted. Many are still fishing on longer sets and bait is not staying on. Price ranges from $5.50 to $6.50 for run, and $6.50 to $7.25 for selects.

ASMFC Meeting

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission met October 27 through 30. MLA’s executive director traveled to Delaware to attend the Lobster Board meeting where the results of the new stock assessment and industry survey results were presented, and to attend the Menhaden Board meeting, which considered the new menhaden stock assessment and planned proposal to slash the quota by 55%.

The room was crowded at the ASMFC meeting in October. MLA photo.

Lobster Stock Assessment

The good news is that ASMFC lobster stock assessment and peer review concluded the resource is not overfished. This means there are still enough lobsters on bottom to sustain both the resource and the lobster fishery. While the resource is declining, it is still healthy. Neither ASMFC managers nor scientists recommend management action.

The stock assessment results closely mirror what Maine lobstermen know about the resource and the level of fishing effort on the resource. No one expected the lobster population would increase forever; lobstermen already know that there are fewer lobsters in the ocean than five years ago because lobster landings have been coming down from the 2016 peak. Now we have a number on how that translates to the lobster population. The stock assessment estimates that lobster abundance has declined by 34%, which is nearly identical to the decline in Maine’s lobster landings.

ASMFC also concluded that overfishing is occurring and this finding has created a lot of confusion. While technically the model determined that overfishing is occurring, the finding is as conclusive as a coin flip. According to the assessment, the overfishing moniker hangs on a razor thin margin (.00066) between a finding of overfishing versus not overfishing. According to the stock assessment, it is equally probable that overfishing is not occurring. With regard to overfishing, this stock assessment varies little from previous stock assessments.

Skirting around the edges of the overfishing label is nothing new to the lobster industry. Scientists have long warned that lobstermen land nearly all of the lobsters molting into legal size, which means our exploitation rate on the resource has always been very high. It also matches what lobstermen already know. Maine lobstermen have been expressing concern about the level of effort in the fishery for decades. The state set up a limited entry program to address effort. Maine has reduced commercial licenses by 32% and tags by 4% since 1997. The stock assessment recognized that there are fewer traps in the water.

The stock assessment also acknowledged that changing ocean conditions are driving the changes in the lobster population. The ocean is changing and lobsters are adapting. The recommendation from the scientists is to define management objectives, better understand the fishery’s socio-economics, and identify potential management tools that might be supported by the industry.

The MLA’s take on the stock assessment is that we know the resource is healthy but it is changing. We know landings are declining. We know the business model is under strain. It is now up to the lobster industry to discuss what this means and to work together to define our vision for the future of the fishery.

Menhaden

The bad news is that the ASMFC voted to cut the menhaden quota for next year. The good news is that ASMFC limited the quota cut to 20% in 2026, rejecting proposals for a drastic 55% reduction. They did not set the quota for 2027 or 2028. While any cut will still impact Maine’s lobster fishery, this decision recognizes the importance of menhaden as a critical local bait source and the need to keep Maine’s small-boat fleet working.

The MLA made sure managers from across the states understood the importance of the Maine lobster fishery and the menhaden bait fishery in keeping Maine’s lobster fleet working. Such drastic cuts would hurt Maine’s small-boat lobstermen, drive up bait prices, and increase reliance on imported bait, which is more expensive and less sustainable. The MLA fought to protect local bait, local jobs, and Maine’s working waterfront.

The menhaden stock assessment is particularly complicated because it not only looks at the health of the menhaden population and its ability to support a commercial fishery but also considers needs of predator fish, such as striped bass, and their prey, such as menhaden and herring. Since managers are trying to rebuild striped bass during a time when herring abundance is low, fewer menhaden are available for allocation to commercial fishing.

Menhaden management is also very complicated because 16 states and two federal agencies vote on it. There are competing needs from the bait fishery, the reduction fishery, and others who want to leave more fish in the ocean to support the ecosystem.

Thank you to the many lobstermen, community members, and industry leaders who spoke up, sent comments, and stood with the MLA to protect this vital local bait source. The MLA will continue to stay engaged as the issue is revisited in 2027 and 2028 and to advocate for a sustainable future for Maine’s lobster industry.

MLA In the Community

Students at St. George School got an up-close look at Maine’s lobster industry and a taste of it too, with a traditional lobster dinner for more than 200 students and staff. The MLA was proud to take part, giving a lively presentation about Maine lobster and how the lobster industry sustains coastal communities like St. George, Tenants Harbor, and Port Clyde and continues to support generations of Maine families. Every student went home with an MLA T-shirt, sticker, and a copy of our Junior Harvester newsletter. It was a great way to spark curiosity and pride in Maine’s heritage. It’s inspiring to see the next generation learning about the hard work, care, and stewardship that keep our lobster industry strong!

Fun, food, and the MLA at the St. George School in October. M. Tripp photos.

Events like this help ensure that the next generation understands the hard work and stewardship behind every catch. Special thanks to MLA Board member John Tripp, his wife Mallary, and the St. George School for organizing this event.

The MLA visited the University of Southern Maine to talk about the vital work of Maine’s lobster industry — its heritage, future, and the conservation practices that underpin it. The talk was part of a learning lecture series at Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at USM. Special thanks to MLA Associate Director Chris Payne for representing the fishery and board member Christian LaMontagne for taking time off the water to share his passion for protecting this fishery.

C. LaMontagne in Portland.

Right Whale and Ropeless Consortium Meetings

MLA’s executive director traveled to New Bedford, MA to attend the annual four-day right whale conference in New Bedford in October, which focused on right whale science, management and ropeless fishing. The MLA has attended this conference for over 20 years to stay informed on emerging right whale science and other developments.

There was some good news from the Right Whale Consortium meeting. The right whale population has again increased — to 384 whales! The New England Aquarium (NEAq) stated, “After seven years of steady decline from 2013 to 2020, this reversal in the trend of the population over the last few years is welcome news.” This year, the 2023 population model accounts for new calves and no longer waits for them to be cataloged. In 2024, 350 right whales were seen, including two that were resurrected — one had not been seen in over a decade, the other had not been seen in seven years. There were five documented mortalities and four lost calves however in 2024. There were 11 calves born in 2025, and so far, there are no observed deaths.

The meeting included updates on a variety of ongoing research projects to reduce entanglement and vessel strikes, updates on population monitoring techniques, foraging, distribution, the use of acoustics, genetics, health monitoring, and management updates from the U.S. and Canada. Of particular note, the right whale model used in federal modelling for the whale rules has been updated to cover both the U.S. and Canada. The methodologies for this update are still in review, and the results should be released later this fall.

The Ropeless Consortium meeting included updates on research and testing underway to further develop this technology. Gear libraries have been established in many areas to provide a variety of ropeless, on-demand, and innovative gear for fishermen to trial. For most projects, fishermen are paid to fish the gear and collect data. There are now several small-scale examples of fishermen using this gear in closed areas in Massachusetts, Canada, and California. However, there are significant issues that have not been resolved including the reliability of the gear, cost of the gear, and interoperability among systems. Until unmarked gear can be seen by other vessels and enforcement officers, on-demand fishing will not be operational on a larger scale, regardless of the technology being used.

Tariff Concerns

The MLA reached out to Senator Collins to express concerns that tariffs are driving up the cost of bait and fishing supplies. We appreciate the Senator’s continued leadership in urging federal officials to address the heavy burden that tariffs are placing on Maine’s lobster industry. Rising equipment and bait costs, compounded by trade barriers, are making it increasingly difficult for lobstermen to stay afloat.

As MLA board member and lobsterman Gerry Cushman put it, “Tariffs are hitting Maine lobstermen from every direction. We’re relying more on imported bait just as tariffs are driving those prices higher." The MLA will continue working to help ensure lobstermen have a fair chance to compete and thrive.