Game of inches: Lobster fishermen say tiny change in legal sizes could disrupt imperiled industry
Fishing regulators are instituting a new rule that lobster fishermen must abide by stricter minimum sizes for the crustaceans they harvest
PORTLAND, Maine — Gerry Cushman has seen Maine's iconic lobster industry survive numerous threats in his three decades on the water, but the latest challenge — which might sound tiny — could be the biggest one yet.
Lobster fishing is a game of inches, and the number of inches is about to change. Fishing regulators are instituting a new rule that lobster fishermen must abide by stricter minimum sizes for crustaceans they harvest.
The impending change might be only 1/16th of an inch or 1.6 millimeters, but it will make a huge difference for fishermen when the fishery is already facing major threats from climate change and new rules designed to protect whales, numerous lobster fishers told The Associated Press.
Interstate fishery regulators, however, say the change is necessary to preserve the future of the lobster population off New England as the species shifts farther north with warming waters.
In addition to causing a dispute between fishermen and regulators, the change has led to confusion about the ramifications for international trade in one of the world's most popular seafoods.
“We don't need any more, really, on our plate. It's just a lot going on, one fight after another,” Cushman, 55, a boat captain who fishes out of Port Clyde, said. “We don't need anything in the marketplace to lower the price of lobsters.”
Fishermen are pushing back at the new rules slated to go into effect next summer, because they fear even such a small change could dramatically alter their ability to fish. They also say it would put them at a competitive disadvantage with Canada, which harvests the
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