In-depth analysis and updates on the state of the American Lobster, sourced from ASMFC, GMRI, NOAA, and peer-reviewed research.
As the Gulf of Maine warms at three times the global ocean average, American lobster populations are undergoing dramatic geographic shifts. GMRI's 2024 data shows the region recorded its 12th-warmest year, with scientists now predicting populations will decline to early 2000s levels within 30 years. Here is what the science says.
Lobsters are far more than a valuable fishery — they are keystone predators that shape kelp forests, control sea urchin populations, and drive nutrient cycling across benthic ecosystems. A 2024 meta-analysis in Proceedings of the Royal Society B found kelp forests support 2.4 tonnes of fisheries biomass per hectare annually, and lobster predation is a key mechanism preventing the collapse of these forests into barren urchin wastelands.
Epizootic Shell Disease (ESD) has contributed to a 92% collapse in southern New England lobster landings since 1997. Driven by warming water temperatures and a bacterial consortium led by Aquimarina homaria, the disease erodes the chitin shell and compromises reproduction. Here is what the science says about its causes, impacts, and the path forward.
Abandoned, lost, and discarded fishing gear—ghost gear—kills an estimated 12,500 to 33,000 lobsters per year in Cape Cod Bay alone, and costs the US lobster industry roughly $250 million annually. Here's what the science says and what's being done about it.
American lobster conservation faces a pivotal moment: the 2025 ASMFC Benchmark Stock Assessment found the Gulf of Maine/Georges Bank stock has declined 34% since 2018 and overfishing is technically occurring, while southern New England populations remain at record lows. Here is what the science says about the challenges ahead and the conservation strategies that are working.