Lobster Ban Postponed, Board Looks For Other Solutions

A proposed ban on lobster fishing on the East coast has been put on hold. A fisheries advisory board says it will consider other measures to try to halt a decline in lobster stocks. WNPR’s Harriet Jones reports.

The American Lobster Management Board met Thursday in Warwick Rhode Island to hear testimony about its proposed five year ban on lobster fishing. Lobster stocks have been falling – the population in the Northeast is now estimated at 15 million, down from 35 million a decade ago, and in May a technical committee recommended the 5 year moratorium as a way to ease pressure on stressed lobster populations.

Fisherman from Connecticut and other New England states told the board the ban could do “almost biblical damage” to their industry. There are between two and three thousand full and part time lobster fishermen who work the coastline where the ban was proposed.

There’s as yet no scientific agreement on the cause of the lobster population crash – over fishing may be one factor, but warming waters, pollution and disease may all be playing a part. The Board says it will now consider less drastic measures than a ban – a reduction in the catch by either 75 or 50%.

For WNPR, I'm Harriet Jones.