Managing the Maine Lobster Fishery: An Evaluation of Alternatives
By Elizabeth C. Scott
INTRODUCTION
Beyond the borders of “Vacationland,” regulators and fishermen alike celebrate the Maine lobster fishery as one of the few successful efforts to combat the growing problem of overfishing in world fisheries. In stark contrast to other American fisheries, such as the North Atlantic haddock fishery and the blue marlin fishery, lobsters in Maine still seem plentiful to those who trap in its waters or dine in its restaurants. In fact, Maine lobstermen have enjoyed record returns for the past two years, and many Maine lobstermen assert that the fishery is “doing fine.” Inside the closed doors of public meetings and hearings, however, brews a storm as powerful as any squall that agitates the state's coastal waters.
One side of the debate says that lobsters are abundant in Maine waters and that regulators need to leave the independently-minded fishermen alone and stop imposing new regulations. Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME), the chair of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Oceans and Fisheries, contends that federal fishing laws harm Maine's fishermen and economy, turning lobstermen away from lobsters and sending them to places with less restrictive fishing regulations, and breaking down family structures as frustrated lobstermen return home to abuse wives and children because of their misfortunes.
Snowe believes that federal fisheries management plans fail to consider the interests of the small family fisherman, favoring huge fishing conglomerates and forcing the local fishermen out of the lobster business. Furthermore, she and other opponents of federal regulations cite record catches and daily successes as evidence that federal regulations ignore the real-life experiences of fishermen who are out on the water every day, focusing instead on recommendations by government scientists. William Adler, president of the Massachusetts Lobstermen's Association, says, “Lobster Republic doesn't agree it's overfished.” In response to government scientists' computer models showing a fishery on the brink of collapse, he quips, “Our computer model, which is two eyes, a brain, and a hand on a boat says it's not.”
In fact lobster landings in 1999 set a record high, coinciding with a rise in lobster price that also set a record. Data from National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) show that Maine lobstermen landed 52.3 million pounds of lobster, bringing in a total of $180 million.Despite these recent record catches, however, the fishery has been classified as overfished for two decades and continues to be classified as such. Fisheries experts attribute record catches to a variety of factors, including increased fishing efforts, a rise in water temperatures, and the collapse of other New England fisheries, which left fewer groundfish to prey on smaller lobsters. Pat White, executive director of the Maine Lobstermen's Association, compared the record increase to the stock market, warning that “at some point, reality will set in.”
Scientists and regulatory agencies tell story that contrasts to the evidence of recent record catches, pointing to a mathematical model used since 1982 to assess the health of the fishery, a model that indicates that the resource is still overfished. While lobster catches have reached record levels in recent years, proponents of stricter regulations describe a decline in the size and quality of lobsters actually trapped. Lobstermen are catching too many lobsters the first year they become legal, many of which have not, at that point, had an opportunity to extrude eggs. In addition to detrimental effects on lobster reproduction resulting from premature harvesting of lobsters, the industry may suffer economic efficiency problems because the animals are harvested at a size much smaller than their potential. Because of these concerns, scientists and regulators have attempted to set limits on lobster fishing, while protecting economic interests at the same time.
This paper examines the environmental and regulatory problems affecting the Maine lobster fishery, in both state and federal waters, and evaluates the management approaches best suited to the unique problems of the fishery. In doing so, the paper will attempt to answer the following questions: 1) What are the environmental problems facing the Maine lobster fishery; 2) can current regulatory schemes be modified to better address any problems with the fishery; and, 3) will innovative approaches to management provide better alternatives to traditional management regimes for the fishery?
Beyond the borders of “Vacationland,” regulators and fishermen alike celebrate the Maine lobster fishery as one of the few successful efforts to combat the growing problem of overfishing in world fisheries. In stark contrast to other American fisheries, such as the North Atlantic haddock fishery and the blue marlin fishery, lobsters in Maine still seem plentiful to those who trap in its waters or dine in its restaurants. In fact, Maine lobstermen have enjoyed record returns for the past two years, and many Maine lobstermen assert that the fishery is “doing fine.” Inside the closed doors of public meetings and hearings, however, brews a storm as powerful as any squall that agitates the state's coastal waters.
One side of the debate says that lobsters are abundant in Maine waters and that regulators need to leave the independently-minded fishermen alone and stop imposing new regulations. Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME), the chair of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Oceans and Fisheries, contends that federal fishing laws harm Maine's fishermen and economy, turning lobstermen away from lobsters and sending them to places with less restrictive fishing regulations, and breaking down family structures as frustrated lobstermen return home to abuse wives and children because of their misfortunes.
Snowe believes that federal fisheries management plans fail to consider the interests of the small family fisherman, favoring huge fishing conglomerates and forcing the local fishermen out of the lobster business. Furthermore, she and other opponents of federal regulations cite record catches and daily successes as evidence that federal regulations ignore the real-life experiences of fishermen who are out on the water every day, focusing instead on recommendations by government scientists. William Adler, president of the Massachusetts Lobstermen's Association, says, “Lobster Republic doesn't agree it's overfished.” In response to government scientists' computer models showing a fishery on the brink of collapse, he quips, “Our computer model, which is two eyes, a brain, and a hand on a boat says it's not.”
In fact lobster landings in 1999 set a record high, coinciding with a rise in lobster price that also set a record. Data from National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) show that Maine lobstermen landed 52.3 million pounds of lobster, bringing in a total of $180 million.Despite these recent record catches, however, the fishery has been classified as overfished for two decades and continues to be classified as such. Fisheries experts attribute record catches to a variety of factors, including increased fishing efforts, a rise in water temperatures, and the collapse of other New England fisheries, which left fewer groundfish to prey on smaller lobsters. Pat White, executive director of the Maine Lobstermen's Association, compared the record increase to the stock market, warning that “at some point, reality will set in.”
Scientists and regulatory agencies tell story that contrasts to the evidence of recent record catches, pointing to a mathematical model used since 1982 to assess the health of the fishery, a model that indicates that the resource is still overfished. While lobster catches have reached record levels in recent years, proponents of stricter regulations describe a decline in the size and quality of lobsters actually trapped. Lobstermen are catching too many lobsters the first year they become legal, many of which have not, at that point, had an opportunity to extrude eggs. In addition to detrimental effects on lobster reproduction resulting from premature harvesting of lobsters, the industry may suffer economic efficiency problems because the animals are harvested at a size much smaller than their potential. Because of these concerns, scientists and regulators have attempted to set limits on lobster fishing, while protecting economic interests at the same time.
This paper examines the environmental and regulatory problems affecting the Maine lobster fishery, in both state and federal waters, and evaluates the management approaches best suited to the unique problems of the fishery. In doing so, the paper will attempt to answer the following questions: 1) What are the environmental problems facing the Maine lobster fishery; 2) can current regulatory schemes be modified to better address any problems with the fishery; and, 3) will innovative approaches to management provide better alternatives to traditional management regimes for the fishery?
