Photo by: Portsmouth Herald
SEABROOK — New Hampshire has joined Maine in rejecting new regulations that would increase the minimum length of catchable lobster this summer.
Republican Gov. Kelly Ayotte sent a letter to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) that oversees lobster caught by New Hampshire and Maine fishermen, stating New Hampshire would not comply with the guidelines set to go into effect July 1.
The new regulation requires an increase in the size of the gauge used by fishermen to measure lobster length, determining whether they can be caught or must be released. Lobstermen measure the size of a lobster by gauging its carapace (shell) from the eye socket to the tail.
Ayotte echoed a concern expressed by lawmakers in Seabrook, where lobstering is a local industry, that the rule could decrease lobstermen’s hauls by 30%. Her letter to the ASMFC follows similar action by Maine Department of Marine Resources Patrick Keliher, who said earlier this month Maine would not follow the regulations.
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