If Lobster Landings Fall,
Will Industry Be Ready?
by Laurie Schreiber
Settlement surveys started in the early 2000s; the rate of settlement for a given year can be projected forward to indicate what landings will be in the future. Projecting forward from the latest settlement survey, the lobster population could return to levels of a decade ago. “Things are changing with the resource. The one buffer that, in theory, we have along the coast of Maine is V-notching.” – Carl Wilson, DMR marine biologist. Industry leaders have noted that the abundance of lobsters seems to be leading to a decline in V-notching. © Photo by Sam Murfitt
ROCKPORT – Lobster landings for 2013 were still at record-high levels, although slightly declined from 2012. Preliminary data compiled by the Department of Marine Resources (DMR) show fishermen harvested 125,953,876 pounds, the second-highest harvest on record since the DMR and National Marine Fisheries Service began keeping records.
