Maine Lobster Fishers Battle Regulations, Climate in 2025 Slump

PORTLAND, Maine — Maine lobster harvesters landed just 78.8 million pounds in 2025, down from 110 million in 2024, marking the lowest statewide catch since 2008, according to the Maine Department of Marine Resources. The plunge stemmed from over 21,000 fewer fishing trips — a 10% drop — as bait, fuel and gear prices rendered many outings unviable, Commissioner Carl Wilson stated in a department release. A late molt further curtailed access to soft-shell lobsters that draw summer tourists, exacerbating the economic hit in ports from Stonington to Portland.

New federal and state regulations targeting the endangered North Atlantic right whale, with a population of about 360, compound the pressures by threatening area closures in lobster grounds overlapping whale migrations. Entanglements in fishing gear have contributed to whale mortalities, prompting rules that could reshape trap fisheries vital to Maine's 5,000 licensed lobstermen. Meanwhile, the Gulf of Maine, warming faster than 99% of global oceans, drives lobsters deeper offshore and northward to Canadian waters, hitting larval survival and fueling shell disease. The industry, supporting 18,000 jobs, saw revenues swing from $725 million in 2021 to $388 million in 2022, underscoring its fragility.

Despite $600 million in 2025 earnings — the 14th straight year above $500 million — dockside profits evaporated under inflation and market uncertainty, fishers say. Canada now triples U.S. lobster catches and processes 40% of Maine's haul, capitalizing on global demand. Relief emerged with U.S. Sen. Susan Collins securing funding in the FY 2026 Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies Appropriations bill, now headed to the president's desk. Groups like the Maine Center for Coastal Fisheries and Island Institute push adaptations, including National Fish and Wildlife Foundation grants and LD 574 to safeguard the state's dwindling 20 miles of working waterfront.