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Q:
Would
changing Maine's law hurt Maine's 'broodstock' lobster population?
A: No for two reasons.
First, scientists consider the offshore lobster stock
located in Area 3 to be a largely independent population from the inshore
stock. Area 3 lobsters are not believed to significantly contribute lobster
larvae to Maine's inshore lobster stock.
However,
our proposal will likely help help the offshore Area 3 population. Here's how:
Maine has two laws to protect "broodstock" lobsters
(large females that are known to reproduce). The first is a
requirement that a lobster carrying eggs (a "pregnant" lobster) be
permanently marked with a "V-notch" (a small notch in a tail flipper), and
returned to the sea. From then on, the lobster cannot be harvested.
The second law requires that all lobsters - male and
female alike - whose body length is greater than 5 inches are always
returned to the sea. These are known as "oversized" lobsters, and are
what the Maine lobster industry considers to be a 'broodstock' which
contributes to lobster reproduction.
Currently, groundfish vessels which fish in Area 3 and
land in Massachusetts are not required to return oversized lobsters to the
sea. Under our proposal, those vessels which returned to Maine would
be. This would mirror the broodstock conservation requirement of the Maine inshore lobster fishery.
And once Maine's groundfish fleet is presented a vested
interest in the health of the resource, it will contribute to V-notching
oversize female lobsters - thus ensuring they cannot be landed
in Massachusetts by another vessel fishing nearby.
In summary, any vessel fishing in Area 3 that chose to
land its fish and bycatch lobsters in Maine, rather than in Massachusetts,
would be contributing to the preservation of the offshore broodstock lobster
population.
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