PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • March 4, 2025
We need to back off harvesting small lobsters. If most of the catch is presently 1 1/2 pounds, then lobstermen are catching most of the lobsters before they reach their spawning size, which is 3 1/2 inches and weighing 1 1/2 pounds. Maybe lobstermen could be allotted a bunch more traps for this one- or two-year waiting period to make up for their loss, while giving the 1 1/4 pound lobsters a chance to grow to spawning age. That extra 1/4 inch and an extra 1/4 pound would be accomplished after shedding one more time. It really may make a lot of sense to make the full adjustment to 3 1/2 inches all in one year. The 3 1/4 inches will be 3 1/2 inches after the next shed. It makes no sense to increase the size by less than 1/4 inch. ~ James O’Connell, Bar Harbor