Maine Lobstermen's Association Update | November 2026
MLA Board of Directors Meeting Summary
The MLA Board met on October 14 to review industry issues, ongoing advocacy efforts, and Association activities.
Federal whale regulations remain a top priority. The MLA recently submitted comments opposing ropeless fishing and calling for NMFS to honor MLA’s court victory by revisiting mortality and serious injury estimates, population estimates, and fishery impacts without the speculative assumptions rejected by the court. NMFS must conduct a new baseline assessment of the lobster industry’s impact on whales using the best available data. MLA believes this will show that existing measures are more than sufficient and that some should be eliminated or relaxed.
The MLA specifically calls for eliminating the LMA1 seasonal closure, moving Maine’s exemption line to the three-mile line, and flexible approaches using traditional gear if future changes are needed. MLA is participating in discussions about dynamic management measures that use real-time whale information and communication with fishermen.
The MLA submitted comments to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) advocating reconsideration of menhaden allocation to provide more equity among states, reflect current landings, and better support Maine’s small-boat bait fishery. MLA also opposed a proposed rezoning of Portland’s working waterfront to accommodate a soccer stadium that could threaten valuable commercial marine infrastructure.
The MLA continues to develop legislation to strengthen penalties for egregious violations of Maine’s lobster laws. The proposal will be discussed with the Lobster Advisory Council in October. MLA will put forward a bill for consideration by the Maine Legislature.
The Board celebrated the successful conclusion of the Billion Egg Challenge, which reached its goal of protecting one billion lobster eggs through V-notching. The campaign highlighted Maine lobstermen’s commitment to conservation and the future of the lobster resource. MLA board members will be collecting V-notch jars from participants to pool all of the notches together.
The MLA is planning a Working Coast Social on November 5 at Federal Jack’s in Kennebunk to bring together lobstermen and local businesses, strengthen community connections, and build support for the MLA. MLA’s membership renewal is underway. The board is incredibly grateful for the continued support of our members.
The MLA’s vessel insurance program is now managed by Brown & Brown Insurance. The program continues to offer excellent coverage and customer service at affordable rates.
Given the rising costs of medical bills, the board discussed the importance of having adequate P&I coverage to protect a lobsterman’s business, and the importance of making sure the captain is covered. The Board also reviewed plans for new MLA merchandise for the holiday season.
Board members reported that it has been a slow and difficult season in many parts of the coast. Southern Maine has had steady landings while other areas have been very spotty. Many saw an increase in catch following the recent winds and storms and everyone is hoping for a strong fall. Overall, lobstermen are frustrated with the boat price given the pace of landings. Former board member Brian McLain passed away.
MLA Launching New Training Programs for Young Lobstermen
The MLA is partnering with the Maine Lobster Community Alliance (MLCA) to launch three new training programs aimed at helping young lobstermen build successful careers and become future leaders in Maine’s lobster industry. The program is supported by NOAA Sea Grant.
Three program modules aim to empower the next generation of fishermen, business owners, and industry leaders.
HAUL (Harvesters Advancing Understanding and Leadership): A leadership program to provide young lobstermen a deeper understanding of lobster science, management, conservation, and industry advocacy. Participants will gain hands-on experience and have an opportunity to visit Canadian lobster fishing communities.
Buoy to Bank: A business training program to help lobstermen strengthen their financial management skills, develop business plans, and improve the long-term profitability of their businesses.
Sternman 101: An entry-level training designed to help young people gain the skills, safety knowledge, and practical experience needed to work aboard a lobster boat.
The MLA is preparing to launch these programs and will announce recruitment details in the coming months. Sign up to receive updates and information about how to participate at www.mainelobstermen.org/leadership-program.
USDA Visit to Maine
The MLA hosted USDA leadership on September 29 and 30 for a fact-finding visit to learn about Maine’s lobster industry. Guests included Richard Fordyce, USDA Under Secretary for Farm Production and Pat Swanson, USDA Administrator for Risk Management, along with staff. The MLA introduced USDA officials to Maine’s lobster industry and explored whether crop insurance approaches could be adapted to the fishery. The MLA participated in a roundtable discussion in Stonington and arranged visits to Bold Coast Seafood in Prospect Harbor, Greenhead Lobster’s buying station in Stonington, and a lobster boat in Casco Bay.
Federal Tracker Case Dismissed
The U.S. Supreme Court announced that it would not hear the case challenging Maine’s electronic vessel-tracking requirement for federally permitted lobster boats. The decision leaves in place the lower court ruling upholding the program and the case is dismissed.
Monterey Bay Aquarium Case Dismissed
On October 9, the First Circuit Appeals Court ordered the dismissal of the lobster industry’s defamation lawsuit against the Monterey Bay Aquarium. The court ruled that the group defamation rule bars the claims because the aquarium’s “red” seafood rating did not specifically target individual lobstermen out of an industry with thousands of license holders.
The court dismissed the MLA’s case, but it did not validate the Aquarium’s claims about Maine lobster. Those are two very different things. The ruling did not address MLA’s allegations that the Aquarium’s false claims have harmed Maine’s lobster fishery. The MLA stands firm in its position that the Aquarium’s red-listing harms the Maine lobster fishery by telling consumers to avoid Maine lobster while ignoring decades of meaningful conservation by the very people who depend on a healthy ocean.
Ropeless Fishing Request for Information (RFI)
The MLA submitted comments on NMFS’s Request for Information on October 14. MLA’s letter clearly reiterated MLA’s long-standing opposition to ropeless fishing. MLA told NMFS that it must conduct a new, lawful assessment of the lobster fishery’s impacts on right whales using the best available science without the precautionary assumptions, as ordered by the courts in MLA’s 2023 court victory. MLA believes a new, lawful assessment will show that existing regulations are sufficient and some restrictions are no longer justified. If additional protections are warranted, MLA supports only flexible management approaches using existing gear and fishing practices — not costly, unproven ropeless technology that threatens safety, profitability, and Maine’s owner-operator fleet.
In its letter, the MLA welcomed NMFS’s confirmation that ropeless gear will not be mandated, while highlighting the safety, operational, and economic concerns with on-demand ropeless gear.
NMFS Scoping meeting on potential new whale rules
NMFS held an online public hearing regarding possible right whale protection rules on September 24. The meeting had only 39 attendees, including state agency representatives, environmental organizations, and a small number of fishing industry participants. At the meeting, DMR Commissioner Carl Wilson gave comments stating that it is difficult for lobstermen to comment on whale rules before NMFS identifies a risk-reduction target.
The MLA submitted extensive written comments to NMFS on October 16. MLA urged NMFS to begin with a lawful, science-based assessment of the lobster fishery’s impact on right whales and honor MLA’s court victory by revisiting mortality and serious injury estimates, population estimates, and fishery impacts without the speculative assumptions rejected by the court.
Although MLA won its court case, NMFS has not yet corrected the assumptions that drove earlier whale regulations. MLA believes a new assessment using the best available data will show that existing measures are more than sufficient and some should be eliminated or relaxed. The focus should be on removing unjustified burdens—not automatically adding another round of restrictions.
The MLA specifically calls for eliminating the LMA1 seasonal closure, moving Maine’s exemption line to the three-mile boundary, and opposed any new closures, effort reductions, weak rope requirements, gear marking mandates, and compulsory ropeless fishing. MLA also supports stronger enforcement of existing wet-storage requirements.
Dynamic Management Work Group (TRT)
The MLA is participating in the dynamic management work group ahead of the Take Reduction Team (TRT) meeting. Discussions have been productive. MLA has urged the group to move beyond a pilot project toward a permanent, state-managed program if new whale measures are necessary. Lobstermen have emphasized lessons from Jeffrey’s Basin: keep the response simple, use real-time information, and communicate directly with fishermen.
Large Whale Entanglements Decline in 2025
On September 30, NMFS released its 2025 national report on confirmed large whale entanglements in U.S. waters. Reported entanglements declined from 94 in 2024 to 76 in 2025. California, Alaska, Hawaii, and Washington accounted for 78% of confirmed entanglements. The report identified one confirmed right whale entanglement.
Bait Updates
Menhaden
Maine’s commercial menhaden fishing season closed on October 4. The MLA submitted comments to ASMFC related to its commercial quota reallocation discussion. MLA is urging ASMFC to increase Maine’s share of the coastwide menhaden quota and give greater priority to small-scale bait fisheries. Menhaden have become an essential source of bait for Maine’s lobster fleet as Atlantic herring landings have declined. Maine’s current allocation does not reflect the growth of its menhaden fishery or the economic importance of this resource to thousands of owner-operated fishing businesses. As a result of Maine’s inadequate base allocation frequent openings and closures during the fishing season have created instability, affecting fishermen, dealers, and lobstermen who need a reliable source of bait. MLA advocated that quota allocations must evolve to reflect current fishing activity and provide a more reliable bait supply.
The MLA also submitted comments on Addendum II regarding the proposed reduction of the Chesapeake Bay Cap. MLA’s priority in menhaden management is to support a more equitable and balanced management of the resource and stable bait supply. Therefore, MLA did not support maintaining the status quo because it favors one sector of the fishery and one region of the coast over others. MLA supported tying all menhaden allocations, including Chesapeake Bay suballocation, to the coast wide cap.
Herring
At its September 23 meeting, the New England Fishery Management Council reduced the Atlantic herring annual catch limit by 24% for fishing years 2027–2031, from 9,134 metric tons in 2026 to 6,926 metric tons annually. The 2026 Atlantic herring quota for all areas is 9,134 metric tons (mt). As of October 15, 18.6% has been landed (Area 1A at 24%, Area 1B at137%, Area 2 at 0.4%, and Area 3 at 1487%).
ASMFC estimated there are approximately 2,075 mt left for harvest in Area 1A accounting for the fixed gear set-aside, underage through the end of September, and closing Area 1A when 92% of the quota is estimated to be landed.
ASMFC reopened Area 1A with two landing days on October 12 and October 13 and then closed the fishery from October 14 through November 8. Beginning November 9, the fishery will move to four consecutive weekly landing days until 92% of the Area 1A quota is caught. Landing days are Mondays through Thursdays.
While the fishery is closed, harvesters are prohibited from landing more than 2,000 pounds of Atlantic herring per trip from Area 1A during Season 2; fishing is not allowed in spawning areas during a spawning closure. The Eastern Maine Spawning closure ran from August 28 through October 8; Western Maine Spawning and Mass/NH Spawning closures run September 23 through November 3.
Enforcement Bill
The MLA’s 2025 members survey showed that 84% of respondents supported strengthening penalties for egregious violations of Maine’s lobster laws. MLA is developing a legislative proposal to address this issue which it will bring before the next Legislature. MLA will discuss this with the Lobster Advisory Council in October. DMR is in support of this effort.
Survey Confirms Lobstermen’s Rising Costs and Shrinking Profits
A new economic study by the Maine Center for Coastal Fisheries and the University of Maine’s Social Oceans Lab confirms what many lobstermen already know: the cost of operating a lobster business is rising faster than revenue, leaving fishermen with shrinking profits. MLA was among the research collaborators.
The study compared fishing costs, operations, and profitability in 2010 and 2025, drawing on surveys of 547 lobstermen from all seven lobster management zones in 2025. The survey had a 20% response rate.
The findings are concerning. While average lobster landings per vessel increased 6%, operating costs rose 32%, and net income fell 34% after adjusting for inflation. The average cost of hauling a trap increased from $3.18 to $4.33, while net income per trap haul dropped from $2.04 to just $1.35.
Rising costs are eating into lobstermen’s earnings. Since 2010, bait costs increased 52%, fuel costs rose 35%, and boat and gear maintenance costs climbed 50%, all measured per trap haul and adjusted for inflation. The percentage of vessels unable to cover operating costs more than doubled, from 13% to 28%.
Smaller and midsize boats are feeling the greatest pressure. Net income declined across most vessel sizes, with boats between 26 and 39 feet experiencing losses of more than 60% in inflation-adjusted net income. Larger vessels have generally been better able to absorb rising costs by hauling more traps per trip.
The study also highlights how dependent Maine’s fishing families remain on lobster. Lobstering accounts for nearly 94% of the fleet’s fishing income, and two-thirds of harvesters do not participate in another fishery. Opportunities to diversify are limited.
These findings highlight the challenges facing Maine’s small-boat, owner-operated lobster fleet. While the industry continues to generate significant economic value, rising operating costs and shrinking profits threaten the independent fishing businesses that support Maine’s coastal communities and working waterfronts.
In Memoriam: Brian McClain
The Maine Lobstermen’s Association is saddened to share the passing of longtime MLA board member Brian McLain of New Harbor.
A fourth-generation lobsterman, Brian spent more than 60 years on the water, many aboard his beloved F/V Silver Bullet. He began fishing from the family dock in Pemaquid and later made New Harbor his homeport.
Over the years, Brian lobstered, groundfished, seined, scalloped, and especially loved winter shrimp dragging. He participated in numerous research projects and could often be found on the boat alongside scientists, sharing his knowledge. He participated in the lobstering apprenticeship program, helping introduce others to the work and traditions that meant so much to him.
He served on the MLA Board of Directors for nearly 30 years, from 1984 to 2013, including as Vice President. In 2005, the MLA honored Brian with the Golden V-Notch Award for his dedication to Maine’s lobster industry. We are grateful for Brian’s decades of service to the MLA and Maine’s lobster community. His presence on the water and commitment to the industry will be remembered.
Comments