In The News | July 2025

Cargo ship captain charged with lobster violations

The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department boarded a 400-foot cargo ship sailing under the Panama flag that was docked in Newington on June 6. Upon boarding the ship, conservation officers said they discovered multiple ropes extending from the side of the ship into the water. The lines were inspected, and stolen lobster traps belonging to licensed New Hampshire commercial fishermen were found containing lobsters, crabs and bags of blue mussels. Additionally, a submerged wire cage containing an undersized, female egg-bearing lobster was discovered. The ship’s captain was arrested and charged with three misdemeanor counts of lobster and crab fishing without a license and illegal possession of another’s lobster gear, as well as five violations for illegal trap construction, possession of a short egg-bearing lobster, unlawful possession of crabs, unlawful possession of blue mussels and an egg-bearing crab.

Maine State Aquarium.

Maine’s elver catch, value down

Maine’s 2025 elver season ended with its lowest catch total in 10 years and, except for 2020, its lowest value since 2010. The state has an annual statewide catch limit for elvers of roughly 9,500 pounds, but this spring only 7,535 pounds were netted. The average statewide price was $892 per pound, the lowest average price since 2014, when it was $874. The total value from the 11-week season was $6.7 million. Industry officials say that the abundance of elvers is cyclical and this year’s totals, which were influenced by colder weather, do not necessarily suggest any long-term decline in the fishery.

Maine working waterfront bill signed into law

On June 11, Governor Janet Mills signed LD 1245 into law. The bill, sponsored by Representative Morgan Rielly (D-Westbrook), creates a Working Waterfront Advisory Council and establishes the Working Waterfront Information and Technical Assistance Fund within the Maine Office of Community Affairs (MOCA). The fund will support promotional tools, including brochures, advertisements, and campaigns, designed to raise awareness about the importance of working waterfronts and strategies to protect them. Additionally, it will provide technical assistance and help communities identify and preserve points of access and working waterfront infrastructure. “LD 1245, as signed into law by Gov. Mills, will strengthen Maine’s marine economy and coastal communities by providing new tools to support working waterfronts and all who rely on them,” said Samantha Horn of MOCA.

Outer Cape Cod Lobstermen's Association sues over V-notch enforcement

Beginning July 1, Massachusetts lobstermen will not be allowed to harvest V-notched lobsters in state and federal waters around outer Cape Cod, extending from Chatham to Provincetown’s Race Point, including a part of upper Cape Cod Bay. The Outer Cape Lobstermen’s Association, a group of roughly 70 Massachusetts-licensed lobstermen, is seeking a temporary restraining order, preliminary injunction and administrative stay from federal court to halt the “illegal and devastating regulation before it takes effect” and to “preserve the status quo pending judicial review.” The Outer Cape Lobstermen’s Association stated in a declaration submitted to federal court that based on the group’s calculations, “members will suffer a 25% reduction in their catch if the prohibition takes effect and is enforced.”

Newfoundland lobster shipped to Spain

In late June the first direct cargo flight carrying lobster from Newfoundland to Europe took place. Whitecap Seafood Exporters, based in St. John's, shipped thousands of pounds of live lobster to Madrid, Spain. Whitecap said in a statement that the company plans to expand lobster shipments to France, the U.K. and eventually Asian countries. "This plan will not only protect [NL] seafood industry in the short term but will open lasting, resilient trade corridors in the years ahead," the company said.

Maine State Aquarium Open June 11 to August 31

The Aquarium located at the Department of Marine Resources in West Boothbay will be open June 11 through August 31, Wednesdays through Sundays. The aquarium was renovated, reopening in 2024, when more than 26,000 visitors experienced updated exhibits. The aquarium features display tanks, including two 1,400-gallon tanks custom fabricated to resemble the rocky Maine coastline, which feature a variety of sea life found in the Gulf of Maine and provide an up-close view of animals and plants interacting with each other and the marine environment. Interactive exhibits highlight some of the exciting research DMR conducts to protect and manage vital Gulf of Maine resources. New features added for this year include a tank filled with sea run alewives from the Androscoggin River and a moon jelly exhibit. Tickets are available online at www.maine.gov/dmr/programs/education-division/aquarium and seasonal passes are available.