Maine lobstermen have long prided themselves on their sustainable fishing practices, some of which date to the 1800s.
Today's lobsterman throws back all egg-bearing females and undersized and oversized males and females. They fish with special ropes that won't entangle endangered right whales. There is a limit on new commercial licenses — right now, there are about 6,000 — and each lobsterman is limited to 800 traps. Anyone entering the fishery must first go through an apprenticeship.
"It is one of the best-managed fisheries in the world," says Robert Bayer, executive director of the Lobster Institute at the University of Maine.
But a move to have the fishery officially certified as sustainable by an international agency, the London-based Marine Stewardship Council, is causing a flap up and down the coast. Proponents say certification will keep Maine competitive in a market where retailers and customers are demanding sustainably caught seafood. But opponents, fearing a loss of autonomy and added costs, say the fishery doesn't need any certification to prove to the world it is sustainable.
To read the rest of the story, please go to: The Portland Press Herald (Portland, ME).