Maine Lobstermen's Association Update | May 2026

MLA Directors Meeting Summary

Chairman Sonny Beal called the April meeting to order. MLA staff reported that memberships are on track for this time of year. Working with board members to retain and recruit members has been effective. We will soon launch new member support tools, including a portal which will enable members to log into individual MLA accounts. April is Jr. Harvester renewal month. All student license holders receive an MLA membership card, merchandise and a quarterly newsletter.

Sen. Collins and MLA board member Chris Welch at the MLA Social. MLA photo.

The MLA received strong positive feedback about its presence at the Maine Fishermen’s Forum. We talked with many members at the booth and sold lots of memberships, hats, t-shirts, sweatshirts, and V-notch tools. The Annual Meeting was a success, with a standing room only crowd, and good responses to guest speaker Eugenio Piñeiro Soler, the head of NOAA Fisheries. The meeting was recorded and is posted on the MLA website. Our Friday night Social gathering was a big hit again. The MLA is extremely grateful to the many businesses who sponsored that event.

In March the MLA sent a letter to Congress strongly opposing directed federal funding of ropeless fishing. The MLA also voiced support for continued funding of the Northeastern Regional Association of Coastal Ocean Observing Systems (NERACOOS), citing the importance of its buoy array to the safety of Maine’s lobster fleet.

The MLA’s lawsuit against the Monterey Bay Aquarium continues to move forward slowly. In March, MLA attorneys filed a brief opposing Monterey Bay Aquarium’s effort to have the case dismissed based on procedural issues, continuing to argue that the case has standing and should be heard in Maine, specifically in the U.S. District Court of Maine. The court has granted a stay on the defamation case pending resolution of the appeal.

Sonny updated the board on the MLA’s response to the child labor violation filed against Representative Faulkingham. The Executive Committee has discussed the matter multiple times and has participated in media interviews. The MLA published an op-ed in the Bangor Daily News by Vice-Chairman Richard Howland in defense of lobstermen’s long-standing tradition of passing knowledge from one generation to the next on the boat. The DMR reported that the Department of Labor is not targeting the Maine lobster fishery but it is required to investigate any complaint of a child labor law violation.

The MLA is supporting the American Seafood Competitiveness Act introduced by Senator King and Collins proposing to allow fishermen to access USDA aid and benefits.

The Large Whale Take Reduction Team (TRT) is scheduled to meet during the first week of December to begin discussions on new regulatory measures. The new computer models and risk reduction figure will include DMR’s right whale data and lobster fishing effort data. The new risk reduction target is expected in late October. The MLA continues its work on changes to the Endangered Species Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act. DMR has contracted the Maine Center for Coastal Fisheries to conduct an outreach campaign to educate the industry in advance of anticipated proposed rules, which are expected around 2027.

The University of Maine has submitted a request for $1.5 million in federal funding for larval lobster research at the request of NEFSA. If approved, the funding would support rearing lobster larvae through early life stages and conducting monitored research releases to better understand settlement and survival. The request does not support enhancement.

The MLA board continued discussions on potential changes to the penalty structures for egregious violations. Board members favor continuing the V-notch campaign during the upcoming fishing season; they agreed to prioritize the V-notch campaign and start a subcommittee for other priorities. including egregious violations and stewardship.

Predators also remain a concern, with lobstermen seeing increased numbers of black sea bass and cunners. The state is doing research on cunners, and there’s evidence of lobster eggs in cunner stomachs, confirming what lobstermen have been seeing.

Board members shared harbor updates for March. Catch has been slow and variable. Not much happening inshore and offshore remains slow on long soaks. Some guys are scalloping instead. Prices range from $10.75 run; $11.50 to $12.25 shedders; $12.50 to $13.25 hard; $13.50 selects. Canadian LFAs are opening in April. Bait dealers are seeing shipping surchargers. Water remains cold coast-wide, ranging from 38 to 39 degrees.

Missed the MLA Annual Meeting?

MLA’s 72nd Annual Meeting was standing room only, featuring MLA’s review of the past year and guest speaker Eugenio Piñeiro Soler, the new head of National Marine Fisheries Service. Missed it? No worries, watch the meeting video on the MLA website https://www.mainelobstermen.org/annual-meeting.

MLA in the Community

Mark Hoyt explains the fine points of lobstering. MLA photo.

The town of Kittery had two great events in April celebrating Maine’s working waterfronts and lobster fishery. Students at Central School got a life lesson in lobstering from MLA supporter Mark Hoyt. The following week, the MLA participated in the town’s second working waterfront expo, a family-friendly event highlighting the businesses, careers, and organizations connected to Maine’s waterfronts.

Annual Lobstermen Survey – Please Respond!

Lobstermen are experts on the lobster fishery and their opinions need to be heard. The Resilient Fishing Communities Lab at Bates and Colby Colleges has established an annual Lobstermen Survey to track important information about the lobster stock and economics of the fishery. It is critical to get as many lobstermen as possible to participate in this first survey year to establish a solid baseline.

The survey includes questions about recent experiences with the lobster stock and the economic well-being of each household. Take this brief survey and you’ll be entered into a raffle. Survey links were sent via text to mobile numbers and by email to registered lobstermen; a hard copy was mailed in early April. Please direct any questions to Amanda Lindsay alindsay@bates.edu or and visit www.bates.edu/resilient-fishing-communities-lab/ for more information.

Zone Councils Met in April

DMR kicked off the latest round of zone council meetings in April. Zones A, B, D, E And G have met. Zone C meets on May 4. The agenda for this round of meetings included discussion of Maine Lobster Marketing Collaborative Board nominations, an update on DMR’s lobster and marine mammals research, a discussion on new USDA proposals to support fishermen, and an opportunity to ask questions on the child labor laws and the lobster fishery.

Collins and King Elevate Lobstermen’s Concerns on Ropeless gear

After attending this year’s Maine Fishermen’s Forum and hearing concerns about ropeless fishing during the MLA Annual Meeting and the session with federal leaders, Maine Senators Susan Collins and Angus King sent a letter to the head of National Marine Fisheries Service, Eugenio Piñero Soler, urging the agency to listen to lobstermen’s ropeless gear concerns and work with them to identify alternative solutions. “A single, uniform solution, particularly one that mandates technology that is not yet proven at scale, is not the right path forward for this fishery or for the conservation goals we share,” they wrote.

The letter highlights Maine’s “meaningful progress” in testing ropeless fishing in the lobster fishery, noting that this research has identified that “substantial issues” must be resolved. They detail a long list of barriers to the technology working in Maine including cost, increased trip time, interoperability, and threats to Maine’s owner-operator system. The Senators urge NMFS to explore flexible approaches that reflect real-world conditions and cost realities if the agency hopes to “maintain a successful fishery, protect right whales, and preserve the working waterfronts and coastal communities that depend on it.”

The MLA has long opposed ropeless fishing. “No one—least of all Maine lobstermen—wants to see a right whale harmed by fishing gear. But NMFS has not adequately explored affordable, common sense, dynamic solutions in its rush to develop a singular high-tech solution that is not feasible, poses significant safety and operational issues, and will price lobstermen out of the business,” it stated.

Senator Collins urges Sec. Lutnik to Work with Maine Lobster Industry

On April 22, Senator Collins carried the lobster industry’s concerns on ropeless fishing to the Secretary of Commerce, urging him to listen to Maine’s lobstermen on better solutions to save right whales and the lobster fishery. “They are the best stewards imaginable," she told Sec. Lutnik and urged him “to ensure that future regulations fully incorporate the most current population data for right whales, real-time monitoring technologies, and region-specific risk assessments, rather than relying on outdated assumptions that may no longer reflect the actual right whale distribution or fishing patterns.”

Right Whale Updates from NMFS

NMFS is convening the Large Whale Take Reduction Team (TRT). It will hold a webinar “North Atlantic Right Whale Status and Updates” on May 12, and “Right Whale Monitoring and Whale Detection Along the East Coast” on June 22. An in-person meeting may be held during the first week in December.

NMFS reports that 23 right whale calves were born this season, making this the highest calving season in 17 years. There were three first-time mothers for the season along with 20 returning moms. There have been an additional 83 right whales detected in the Southeast, 20 adult females, 39 adult males, and 24 yearlings and juveniles. At least 28 individuals were sighted in the Mid-Atlantic (New York to Virginia). Some Mid-Atlantic individuals were seen prior to being detected in the Southeast, some after, and some were not seen at all. So far, seven mother/calf pairs from the season have been sighted in the Northeast (all in Cape Cod Bay).

The NOAA Office of Law Enforcement (OLE), along with its enforcement partners, conducted right whale plan-focused patrols on 56 patrol days between October 1, 2025 and December 31, 2025. Officers inspected gear from 249 different vessels on separate patrol days for an overall compliance rate of about 79%. They also included fish and conch trap gear inspections in those statistics.

Canada Right Whale Protection 2026 Program

In late March, Canada announced its fishery and vessel management measures to protect right whales during the 2026 season. The measures are largely a continuation of the 2025 fisheries and the vessel-speed programs.

Canada’s primary entanglement prevention program uses visual and acoustic detections of right whales to trigger fishing closures in dynamic areas. A confirmed right whale detection closes a defined area for 15 days. If another whale is detected in the closed area during days 9–15, the consequence depends on the area: either another 15-day closure (Bay of Fundy/Roseway Basin) or a season-long closure through November 15, 2026 (Gulf of St. Lawrence).

The program includes shallow-water provisions inside the 20-fathom management line, where a right whale detection triggers a 7-day temporary closure extending only to the next shallow-water management line (five fathom increments). A redetection before day 7 triggers another 7-day extension. Canada is also extending its shallow water whale-safe gear pilot project for three more years. When a single right whale is detected, the program allows eligible harvesters to fish using whale-safe gear modifications, including low-breaking-strength gear, minimum traps-per-set/trawl requirements, and vertical-line reductions. However, if three or more right whales or a mother-calf pair are detected in shallow water, the area closes fully to both pilot and non-pilot participants.

Other measures include gear marking, mandatory lost-gear reporting, mandatory reporting of marine mammal interactions, support for ropeless/on-demand and other whale-safe gear trials, surveillance by aircraft, vessels, hydrophones, buoys and gliders, and marine mammal response support. This year, Canada will issue “Vigilance Advisories” for right whale detections that do not trigger management measures, intended to increase awareness and best practices among fishermen operating near whales.

Canada also has a series of rules in place to slow vessels in various static zones, dynamic shipping zones, seasonal management areas, and a voluntary seasonal slowdown zone. As in previous years, a mandatory 10knot speed limit, covering over 40,000 mi², will apply to all vessels 42 feet and longer throughout much of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, along with dynamic slowdowns in the main shipping lanes when a right whale is detected. There is also a voluntary slowdown in the Cabot Strait. Vessels will be encouraged to slow down when right whales are detected near the Grand Manan Basin and shipping lanes.

Senators Collins and King Back Legislation to include Fishermen in USDA Programs

Senators Collins and King are among the primary sponsors of a new bill introduced in Congress in late March to strengthen the American seafood industry by giving it parity with the nation’s farmlands. The American Seafood Competitiveness Act of 2026 strengthens domestic seafood markets and supports the long-term competitiveness of U.S. fishermen, processors and coastal communities by improving access to capital through USDA loans, grants, and credit programs for commercial fishing, seafood processing, and mariculture-related businesses. To ensure effective integration of seafood producers into USDA, the American Seafood Competitiveness Act directs the Department to conduct outreach, provide technical assistance, train agency staff, and coordinate with NOAA and other federal and state agencies to ensure programs are accessible to the seafood industry.

USDA Establishes Office of Seafood

The USDA is launching its first-ever Office of Seafood to help fishermen and seafood businesses access federal programs and support. USDA offers programs, including grants and loans, to support infrastructure and workforce development, procurement of seafood products, marketing and promotion of seafood products in both domestic and foreign markets, and risk management and disaster assistance. One of the primary roles of this office will be coordinating across USDA agencies to ensure fishermen are integrated into USDA programs.

Establishment of the new office goes hand-in-hand with the Senate bill sponsored by Senators Collins and King to extend USDA benefits to fishermen. The MLA strongly supports this long overdue recognition of fishermen for the essential work they do to sustain our food supply.

Canadian Spring Lobster Season Openings

The majority of Canada’s lobster fishing areas open during April and May for their spring fishing seasons. Spring landings now comprise the majority of landings in Canada.

Offshore Wind

In late March, the Trump

administration announced an unusual deal to pay a French power company $928 million not to build two east coast wind farms. “Offshore wind is one of the most expensive, unreliable, environmentally disruptive, and subsidy-dependent schemes ever forced on American ratepayers and taxpayers,” said Interior Secretary Doug Burgum.

Atlantic Herring Area 1A Fishing Season Opens in July

The 2026 season Atlantic herring quota is 9,134 metric tons (mt), nearly double last year’s 5,556 mt quota. The overall quota is split among areas: 2,640 mt to Area 1A; 393 mt to Area 1B; 2,539mt to Area 2; and 3,562 to Area 3.

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Atlantic Herring Management Board set the effort control measures for the 2026 Area 1A (inshore Gulf of Maine) fishery. The Area 1A sub-annual catch limit (ACL) is 2,401 metric tons (mt) after adjusting for the 30 mt fixed gear set-aside and the fact that Area 1A closes at 92% of the sub-ACL. ASMFC allocates 73% of the quota from June through September (1,748 mt), and the remaining 27% from Oct through December (653 mt).

The Area 1A herring fishery will open July 19. Harvesters are prohibited from landing more than 2,000 pounds of Atlantic herring per trip from Area 1A until July 19 at 6:00 p.m.

For Limited Access Category A permits Declared into the Fishery, vessels are allowed five consecutive landing days a week, with one landing per 24-hour period. These vessels may harvest up to 240,000 lbs (6 trucks) per week. A harvester vessel may transfer herring at-sea to another harvester vessel but may not make any at-sea transfers to a carrier vessel. Carrier vessels may not receive at-sea transfers from a harvester vessel.

Small mesh bottom trawl vessels with an Atlantic herring Limited Access Category C or Open Access D permit may land herring six consecutive days a week.

Landings will be closely monitored, and the fishery will be adjusted to zero landing days when the season 1 quota is projected to be reached. For more information, please contact Caitlin Starks, Senior Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at cstarks@asmfc.org.

State Allocation Menhaden Fishery Opens in June

The Atlantic menhaden fishery season runs from May 1 through November 30. The commercial State Allocated fishery opens Monday, June 8. Harvest days are Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays with a weekly vessel limit of 17,850 lbs. or 51 barrels per harvester vessel. The limit may be caught in a single day or spread over the three harvest days. Storage of menhaden is required immediately upon harvest in either fish tanks, barrels, crates or totes. Harvester vessels are prohibited from transferring while at sea and vessels are prohibited from receiving any menhaden while at sea from another vessel. Trip level reports are due before midnight on the same day as landing. On and after the first Monday of September, open harvest days for the state allocated fishery are Mondays and Thursdays only, with a daily trip limit of 7,000 lbs., except that pound net, stop seine and fish weirs may harvest seven days a week with a weekly landing limit of 14,000 lbs.

When the state allocation quota is harvested, DMR will provide notice when the fishery enters the Episodic Event Set-Aside fishery (EESA) during which harvest days will Mondays and Thursdays, with a weekly vessel limit of 4,000 lbs. or 40 barrels per harvester vessel. If another state participates, Maine may drop back to a daily limit to reduce risk of overage. The non-commercial fishery begins May 1; pound net operators may begin June 1, with incidental catch limit of 1,050 lbs.