By Russ Reed

AUGUSTA, Maine (WMTW) -- The Maine Department of Marine Resources has decided to pull a regulation that would have increased the minimum allowable catch size for lobsters amid strong opposition from members of the state's lobster industry.

Dozens of lobstermen voiced their concerns during a public hearing about the proposed rule change, which would have increased the minimum catch size from 3 1/4 inches to 3 5/16 inches. The lobstermen argued the change of a sixteenth of an inch may seem small, but they feared it would have resulted in significant financial losses for their businesses.

In a statement, DMR Commissioner Patrick Keliher said he decided to pull the regulation with the approval of Gov. Janet Mills following Thursday night's hearing after lobstermen made it "loud and clear" they were unified in their opposition to the rule change.

The proposal was supposed to already be in effect after initially being pushed to Jan. 1, but was pushed back again to July 1, 2025.

Keliher said the regulation was a proactive measure intended to respond to declines the state has seen in lobsters that are just below the current legal size limit. The DMR had contended the proposed rule could improve lobster stock in the Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank.

"The objective of this measure was to leave those small lobsters on bottom for another year so they could mature and reproduce, which would buffer this vital resource against the effects of a changing climate," Keliher said in his statement.

Keliher also said it was important to note that the proposed regulation was required to ensure Maine remains compliant with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission's interstate fisheries management plan for lobster.

"So this decision to pull the regulation, driven by the Maine lobster industry’s strong and compelling opposition, now requires that I go back to ASMFC and work with the Policy Board on a plan to ensure compliance with the [fisheries management plan]," Keliher said.

Keliher said the new plan will require input from Maine's lobster industry to ensure the DMR is proposing measures that achieve conservation benefits that are equivalent to those intended by the regulation. According to Keliher, he will be working with lobster conservation management teams and zone councils to develop a path forward.

"I can't promise what the outcome of that process will be, but I can promise that I will work diligently to give industry an opportunity to provide input into this process," the commissioner said.

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