Fishing regulators are delaying a plan for stricter fishing rules amid concerns about a decline in baby lobsters in the warming waters off New England.
The regulators are looking to institute a new rule that fishermen need to abide by a larger minimum size for the lobsters they trap. The change is only 1/16th of an inch or 1.6 millimeters, but regulators have said it will help preserve the population of the valuable crustaceans, as many small lobsters will need to be tossed back to the ocean.
Some fishermen have argued the change is unnecessary and will be disruptive to one of the country’s most lucrative seafood industries when it is already stressed by warming waters, surging expenses and new rules to protect whales.
They’ve argued for the new rules to be delayed or scrapped.
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission has said the minimum size must be changed because of a recent decline of more than 35% of the young lobster stock in the Gulf of Maine, a key fishing ground. But the commission voted Monday to push back the implementation of the change from Jan. 1 to July 1, 2025.
Maine fishermen, who catch most of the country’s lobster, remain opposed to the size increase, said Kevin Kelley, a spokesperson for the Maine Lobstermen’s Association. However, the delay will help prevent U.S. fishermen from being put at a competitive disadvantage with Canada, which also has a large lobster fishing industry, he said.