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As more customers demand eco-friendly seafood, GetMaineLobster.com would like to inform you about the many environmentally friendly methods used by the Maine lobster fishery.

Maine lobsters are harvested the old-fashioned way, with each harvester hauling in 250 to 300 traps a day, one trap at a time. While this process is longer and harder than dragging the sea floor, Maine lobster harvesters are committed to preserving the environment and protecting our valuable natural resources, as they have been for generations.

In Maine, lobster harvesters have followed these conservation practices for years to sustain the lobster fishery and preserve a healthy environment:

• Return to the sea any pregnant lobster (1889).
• Measure each lobster for both minimum and maximum legal size, which protects young, egg-bearing females as well as large, healthy breeders.
• V-notch the tails of “berried,” or egg-carrying, females and return them to the sea, where they continue to reproduce for a few more years until they outgrow the notch and are removed from the ocean (1917).
• Harvest lobsters using only eco-friendly lobster traps (1961).
• Refrain from removing eggs from any female lobster or possess any female lobster from which eggs have been removed (1979).
• Use traps with escape vents, which enable lobsters under the minimum catchable size to swim back out and grow to legal size (1979).
• Use biodegradable trap panels designed to release lobsters from traps that are “lost” while fishing (1990).
• Establish and observe lobster zones for stringent local management. Zones limit the number of new fishing entrants and reduce the number of traps within specific zones (1996).
• Adhere to individual trap limits in certain areas since 1989. Statewide trap limits established in 1996.
• Follow an apprenticeship program (1999) to promote good stewardship within the industry and ensure Maine’s lobster fishery understands adheres to eco-friendly practices. New lobster harvesters are required to serve an apprenticeship before a license is granted and to enter the fishery with a limited number of traps.
• Utilize traps with trap runners (since 2002) to minimize potential damage to the lobster’s legs and claws.

When lobster was deemed overfished in 2000, industry members were tasked with creating a plan to end overfishing and responded immediately. Lobster conservationists focused on two practices: mandatory v-notching — a painless procedure used to mark the tail flipper of egg-bearing female lobsters, signaling they must be thrown back in the water so they can reproduce — and a zero tolerance policy for the harvesting of v-notched lobsters.

Both aspects of the plan were modeled after some of the methods that have been used by Maine’s lobster industry for years. This plan was adopted in 2002 by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s (ASMFC) lobster management board in Addendum III.

Lobster harvesters are committed to a healthy marine environment and to sustaining the valuable lobster resource for generations to come. That’s why they harvest responsibly and proudly say lobster from Maine is eco-friendly!

SUSTAINABILITY

GetMaineLobster.com knows that traceability and sustainability are important to preserving Maine lobster. By protecting the Maine lobster resource today, we ensure that future generations can enjoy its delicious flavor.

Rest assured that our Maine lobster is of the highest quality, from a well-managed, sustainable fishery.

Additionally, the Maine lobster industry is a well-managed fishery—ensuring that both the Maine lobster resource and the coastal marine environment are protected. You can count on us to support all efforts and organizations committed to preserving the sustainability of Maine lobster.

Many regulations have been put in place. The Maine Lobster Council ensures the health of the lobster resource, including:

• Tail Notching: Female lobsters with visible eggs cannot be harvested. Before releasing a female lobster, the harvester notches its tail to identify it as a good breeder, thus protecting it from being harvested.
• Minimum Size Limit: Size requirements for harvesting enable juvenile lobsters the chance to mature and reproduce before they’re harvested.
• Maximum Size Limit: Maximum size limits protect the stock of large, healthy breeding lobsters.
• Apprentice Program: New harvesters apprentice with veterans to learn sustainable harvesting practices.
• Trap Limits: Individual harvesters are limited to a certain number of traps by state and local regulations.
• Harvest Method: Lobster harvesting in Maine is performed by trap only—no diving or dragging of the ocean floor is allowed. Traps include escape vents for juvenile lobsters and biodegradable escape hatches to free lobsters in lost traps.