Getting it in gear: $1.2M to bolster Maine's lobster industry

File photo / Laurie Schreiber Two Maine organizations will receive a combined $1.2 million from NOAA's Sea Grant American Lobster Initiative to support the health of Maine's lobster industry.

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By Renee Cordes

Two Maine entities have been awarded $1.2 million by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to help lobstermen research innovative new gear technology and adapt to potential regulatory changes.

The funding will be used by the Maine Department of Marine Resources to dig into modern advances in fishing gear, and by the Gulf of Maine Lobster Foundation to improve information and communications systems for lobstermen.

The grants come after Maine's congressional delegation included language in the 2022 appropriations package that required Sea Grant to use this funding to support gear modernization.

“The lobster industry is an integral part of Maine’s economy, plays a central role in our communities, and represents our state around the world. It is more than a fishery — it’s part of our identity,” U.S. Sens. Angus King, I-Maine, and Susan Collins, R-Maine, and U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine 1st District, said in a joint statement. “With the industry facing new regulatory challenges from NOAA, these funds are a critical step to give our lobstermen the resources and gear options they need to stay in business."

The new funding from NOAA includes $750,000 for the Maine Department of Marine Resources, which is part of the state government, to test and evaluate various lobster gear modification technologies. In addition, $404,564 will go to the Gulf of Maine Lobster Foundation to provide lobstermen with new data imaging and communications tools needed to navigate a changing environmental and regulatory landscape.

“Testing of new gear technology is critically important since it is currently far from a viable option for industry and managers,” said Maine Department of Marine Resource Commissioner Patrick Keliher. “This award will support the evaluation of different gear retrieval and location systems, all of which must work for this technology to be a feasible part of the future of this fishery."

The Sea Grant American Lobster Initiative, funded by NOAA’s National Sea Grant College Program, addresses critical knowledge gaps about American lobster and its iconic fishery in a dynamic and changing environment.

The funding comes on top of just more than $17 million recently secured by Maine's congressional delegation to support the state's lobster industry in the Fiscal Year 2022 Commerce, Justice, and Science Appropriations bill. That bill includes language requiring NOAA to direct funding towards gear modernization.

In recent weeks, some Maine banks have also stepped up to provide financial support for the Maine Lobstermen's Association.