Maine Lobstermen's Association Update | January 2026

MLA Board of Directors Meeting

The MLA Board met on December 3 in Belfast. Chairman Jarod Bray opened the meeting. The MLA discussed new business including its social media strategy, Finance Committee report, and planning for MLA Annual Meeting and the Maine Fishermen’s Forum.

The year-end fundraising campaign is progressing well and has passed the halfway mark toward the $30,000 goal. End-of-year membership renewals are strong. MLA welcomed 130 new Young Harvester members and mailed each one a stainless steel V-notch tool.

The MLA Annual Meeting will take place on Friday March 6 at 9 a.m.; the MLA’s second Annual Social will be held on Friday afternoon at the Golf Club.

Patrice provided several policy updates. She thanked Jacob Knowles for his fun and innovative video explaining the stock assessment in plain English. The video has received nearly 200,000 views and has played an important role in helping both the industry and the public better understand the stock assessment findings without the distraction of misleading headlines. DMR will hold zone council meetings in December and January to discuss the stock assessment results.

DMR and Zone G are holding a meeting on December 10 to bring Jeffreys Ledge area lobstermen together to discuss possible voluntary measures if right whales return again this winter. The Legislature will consider a bill this session to give DMR authority to take emergency action to respond to right whale aggregations, if warranted. However, if passed, it would not be in place for this winter.

The MLA will be submitting a letter in support of proposed amendments to the Endangered Species Act (ESA), which will be introduced in Congress in December. The MLA is inviting other fishing associations to sign the letter.

The EPA’s Tier 4 engine hardship waiver process is in place but has not yet been used. If there is a new lobster boat build that would like to install a high horsepower Tier 3 engine, EPA has a process in place to waive the Tier 4 engine requirement. MLA can help facilitate if there is any interest.

Zone B is concerned about the CAT ferry’s effort to remove the pilot requirement when entering Frenchman’s Bay. Zone B opposes the change, citing heavy boat traffic and fishing gear presence in the area. Several board members who fish in the same area that the CAT travels through noted its high speed in all weather conditions makes it particularly dangerous to fish nearby. The MLA submitted a letter last year opposing the removal of pilot requirements and maintains that position.

The board will meet in January for its Board Retreat in Bangor. The Board’s next regular meeting will be held on February 11 in Belfast.

Board members provided updates on the season from their individual harbors. Fall has been a mixed bag for landings with some catching up to last year’s numbers while others remain as much as 30% behind. Everyone is frustrated with the boat price, especially since the catch has been spotty. Prices range from $5 to $5.75 for soft and $6 to $7 for hard shell.

Support the MLA’s Fundraising Campaign!

We know it hasn’t been an easy year for lobstermen... costs are up and challenges remain. Yet the MLA’s work to defend this fishery and protect your right to fish is far from over. New federal regulations are on the horizon, and a strong MLA today means we’ll be ready to fight tomorrow. Every donation, large or small, is an investment in Maine’s lobstering future and in the generations who will carry it forward. The MLA has set a goal to raise $30,000 to support our Legal Defense Fund and Advocacy Work this year in order to continue our critical work. Your donation helps us:

• Defend Maine’s lobstermen against unfair regulations

• Fight to protect Maine’s lobstermen through strong, determined legal action

• Protect the sustainability of the lobster resource

• Educate the public about Maine’s lobstering industry and its importance to our economy and heritage

• Every dollar strengthens our voice and every donor helps ensure there will be a future for this way of life. Exclusive MLA donor sweatshirts are sent to donors contributing $1,000 or more.

• Donate online at mainelobstermen.org, mail your donation to MLA, 2 Storer St., Suite 203, Kennebunk, ME 04043, or call the office to donate over the phone at 207-967-4555. Thank you for your support!

Zone Councils Meet in December and January

Maine’s seven zone councils are meeting during December and January. Zones D, E and G met the week of December 15 and Zone C on December 29. In January, Zone F meets on January 7, Zone A on January 14 and Zone B on January 15.

DMR’s senior lobster scientist Kathleen Reardon is presenting the results of the lobster stock assessment. She has told lobstermen that while the sky is not falling, lobstermen should pay attention. Lobster abundance has declined by 34% since its peak in 2016 while the amount of fishing effort on the resource has been fairly stable in recent decades. She urged zone council members to think about the risks, opportunities and challenges facing the industry, and what the industry can do and should not do.

Mariane Lacroix is updating Council members on some of the work conducted by the Maine Lobster Marketing Collaborative in 2025 and is alerting lobstermen that the MLMC is up for its five-year reauthorization by the Legislature this winter, as required by law. Council members expressed frustration that the lobster prices have been low this season.

Lobster Bills at the Legislature

The Maine Legislature’s Second Regular Session of the 132nd Legislature will convene on January 7, 2026. The second session is far less broad in scope than the first session because it is limited to consideration of emergency bills, budgetary items, the Governor’s agenda, and study-related legislation. This second session will adjourn in April. To date, there are two new bills and three bills from the first session of interest to Maine’s lobster industry.

LD 2002, An Act to Extend the Maine Lobster Marketing Collaborative to December 31, 2031, proposes to reauthorize the collaborative for five more years. The Collaborative will present its Annual Report to the Marine Resources Committee in January. A public hearing on this bill will be scheduled after that.

LD 2013, An Act to Authorize the Commissioner of Marine Resources to Adopt Emergency Rules to Protect Certain Marine Mammals in Exceptional Circumstances, proposes to authorize DMR take to emergency action to mitigate circumstances posing an exceptionally high level of risk to those mammals. It would also require DMR to report back to the Legislature on its use of this authority by December 2027.

LD 1477, An Act to Provide an Exemption from Pilotage Requirements for Passenger Ferry Service Between Bar Harbor, Maine and Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, was proposed during the first session and tabled for reconsideration in the second session. The MLA opposed this bill citing concerns from lobstermen regarding safety concerns due to the size and speed of the vessel, and heavy boat traffic and fishing gear presence in Frenchman’s Bay.

LD 1341, Resolve, Directing the Department of Marine Resources to Evaluate How to Effectively Allow 2 Licensed Individuals to Fish for Lobsters or Scallops from a Single Vessel, is a Resolve passed in the first session. It directs Maine DMR to evaluate how 2 individuals who each hold a valid Class I, Class II or Class III lobster and crab fishing license and who are fishing concurrently from the same vessel may fish for or take lobsters from a single vessel without this resulting in increased harvest. DMR may seek input from the Lobster Advisory Council and lobster zone councils. DMR will do the same for scallop draggers with advice from the Scallop Advisory Council. DMR must report back to the Marine Resources Committee by March 1, 2026.

LD 1561, Resolve, Regarding the Percentage of a Lobster and Crab Fishing Licensee’s Lobster Traps That May Be Fished in a Lobster Management Zone Listed on the License as a Secondary Zone, is a Resolve passed in the first session. It directs Maine DMR seek input from the lobster zone councils regarding what percentage of license holders lobster traps may fish in a secondary zone. DMR will develop recommendations based on the input received from the councils and submit its report to the Marine Resources Committee by December 3, 2025. The committee may submit legislation related to the report to the Second Regular Session of the 132nd Legislature.

Contact an MLA Board member to share your thoughts on these bills or call the MLA office.

Strong Start to Right Whale Calving Season

As of December 23, nine right whale calves have been spotted in the Southeastern calving grounds. Researchers closely monitor the southeastern Atlantic coast for right whale mother/calf pairs during the calving season which runs mid-November through mid-April.

Right whale calving rates have been improving since the historic low of zero in 2018 and have outpaced deaths in recent years. More information on the 2025 right whale calving season can be found HERE.

Right whales appear to be on the move, as the first right whales were acoustically detected in Cape Cod Bay on November 24 and sighted on November 29. There have been many voluntary slow zones offshore of Cape Cod, Nantucket, Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina in December. Near-real-time whale detections and opportunistic right whale sightings can be seen at https://whalemap.org/WhaleMap.

Jeffreys Area Lobstermen Agree on Voluntary whale protection Measures

Zone G lobstermen meeting with DMR in December

Zone G lobstermen organized a meeting with local lobstermen, industry leaders and DMR staff to discuss what steps might be taken if another aggregation of North Atlantic right whales appears again this winter. The lobstermen agreed to repeat last year’s strategy to drop the Northeast endline if an aggregation of right whales is detected in areas near fishing gear. DMR will continue to survey the area through an underwater acoustic glider currently deployed, as well as aerial and boat surveys. The DMR is in close contact with other organizations surveying the area. DMR has also been working to ensure streamlined communication with affected lobstermen and better coordination with neighboring states whose fisherman also have gear in the area.

Shrimp Season Cancelled Again

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Northern Shrimp Section continued the moratorium on northern shrimp fishing for another three years through the 2028 fishing year, citing continued low biomass levels. The 2025 Northern Shrimp Data Update found no improvement in stock status with new time series lows in total abundance. Environmental conditions have been unfavorable for northern shrimp during the moratorium, which began in 2014. However, two environmental indices, the index of predation pressure and winter surface temperature, showed improvement in the most recent year of data. New recruitment and temperature management triggers were implemented through Amendment 4 and used in management for the first time this year. However, neither trigger was tripped. ASMFC will not conduct a sampling program in 2026.

Bait Fishery Updates

DMR held a meeting to discuss harvester concerns and get input on the development of management for the 2026 menhaden season, given the 20% quota reduction. Maine’s preliminary state allocation for 2026 is 19,571,649 pounds (down from 24,510,314 pounds in 2025) and the Episodic Set Aside is 4,119,117 pounds (down from 5,148,896 pounds in 2025). There was a lot of discussion around the ASMFC management process, quota allocations among states, and suggestions on how to structure the 2026 season to maximize Maine’s access to menhaden. DMR will incorporate industry feedback into the development of a proposed rule which will be published for public comment before decisions on the 2026 season are finalized.

The Atlantic herring quota remains very low but will increase in 2026 and 2027.

Federal Judge Reverses Trumps Block of Offshore Wind

A Massachusetts federal judge ruled in December that Trump’s January 20th Executive Order banning the implementation of offshore wind projects is “arbitrary and capricious and contrary to law.” In May, 17 states filed the lawsuit that challenged the Executive Order in court. The Justice Department has declined to comment on whether the agency would appeal the ruling. However, even if the decision withstands a challenge, the ruling could have limited impact. This is because courts typically cannot compel federal agencies to approve new projects and there may still be a reluctance by developers to submit additional projects for federal permits.

Fish Wellness Act Reintroduced in Congress

A group of U.S. senators from across the aisle are once again pushing to expand federal support for fishermen’s safety, health, and wellness on the job. The Fishing Industry Safety, Health, and Wellness Improvement (Fish Wellness) Act is aimed at strengthening protections for one of the nation’s most dangerous professions by reauthorizing the Commercial Fishing Occupational Safety Research & Training Program and expanding its reach to address better the physical and mental health risks that commercial fishermen face.

Winter Bottom Trawl Survey of Wind Area

DMR is reminding fishermen that the winter bottom trawl survey of the Maine Research Array Energy Area will take place from January 12 through February 28, 2026.

The survey will take place during daylight hours for up to eight days during the timeframe, depending on weather. Survey locations will be the same as the summer and fall surveys, which concluded September 2, 2025 and November 24, 2025 respectively. The F/V Northern Lights (55’ trawler) will transit from Portland to the sampling area for both surveys and will be monitoring VHF channel 16.

The crew will conduct approximately 37 tows over seven days of sampling during each survey. Tows will be 20 minutes and conducted at a speed of 2.5 knots. DMR does not anticipate the need for request gear to be removed for these surveys. A link to the survey map is available on DMR’s website.

Questions about the survey or reports of lost gear should go to Casey Yanos at 207-350-7165 or casey.yanos@maine.gov. Or contact your local Marine Patrol Officer.