As you are aware, last May the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) Lobster Board passed Addendum XXVII putting in place proactive management that would “trigger” a gauge increase when juvenile indices reached a 35% decline.
The Board heard today that the combined index of sublegal lobsters from the trawl and ventless trap survey has declined by 39%, which is 4% more than the trigger established in the Addendum.
The fact that we've hit the trigger this soon comes as a significant surprise. When the Board voted on the Addendum in May, it was anticipated that the trigger would not be hit for a year or two.
While we need to take this decline seriously, I heard loud and clear at Zone meetings that we also needed to address the inequities that we would have with Canada if we fished on a bigger gauge as well as the unique issues we have in the Gray Zone.
Today at ASMFC's Lobster Management Board meeting I made a motion that was approved, to delay the implementation of the management measures established in Addendum XXVII, including lobster gauge and escape vent size changes which are triggered by declines in the abundance of sublegal lobsters.
The original timeline established in the Addendum would have required implementation starting June 1st of 2024. While I would have liked to have seen a 1-year delay, that was not supported by the full Board. The compromise was a 7-month delay and was supported by all the States and was opposed by the National Marine Fisheries Service.
My motion to amend the Addendum lays out the following extended timeline for LMA1:
- January 1, 2025: The first minimum gauge increase for LMA1 of 1/16th of an inch to 3 5/16 of an inch.
- January 1, 2027: The second minimum gauge size increase for LMA1 of an additional 1/16th of an inch to 3 3/8 inch.
- January 1, 2028: Escape vent size increases (2 inches x 5 3/4 inches rectangular, 2 5/8 inches circular). As noted in my previous message these measures, including lobster gauge and escape vent size changes, are intended to allow more sublegal lobsters to reproduce before being harvested and to increase spawning stock biomass.
The delay in implementation will provide additional time to work with Canadian fisheries officials on management measures that support equity for our fishermen and stock resiliency on both sides of the border. It will also allow the guage manufatures the needed time to produce gauges. We will update the Lobster Advisory Council and Zone Council’s this winter to gather more input from harvesters, dealers and processors.
I will continue to share updates on progress of work by the sub-committee established by ASMFC to work with Canadian officials on issues that are important to Maine fishermen.