Sustainability Status
The Maine lobster fishery is one of the most strictly managed in the world, yet it faces conflicting sustainability ratings due to interactions with the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale.
2025 ASMFC Benchmark Stock Assessment
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission completed its benchmark stock assessment for American lobster in October 2025. The findings were mixed:
Gulf of Maine / Georges Bank
- Not depleted — abundance remains above threshold
- Abundance declined 34% from the 2018 peak
- Average landings 2019–2023: 123.6 million lbs (down from 145.7 million during 2012–2018)
- Exploitation rate narrowly flagged as “overfishing” (0.465 vs. threshold of 0.464) — a finding the industry considers within statistical margin
Southern New England
- Significantly depleted since the late 1990s
- Average abundance 2021–2023: 6 million lobsters (threshold: 18 million)
- Landings collapsed from 21.8 million lbs (1997) to 1.7 million lbs (2023)—a 92% decline
- Overfishing is not occurring (exploitation below threshold)
- Decline driven primarily by rising water temperatures
NOAA Fisheries considers American lobster “a smart seafood choice” that is “sustainably managed.” The peer review panel found the assessment meets and exceeds the standard for best scientific information available.
The Seafood Watch “Avoid” Rating
On September 6, 2022, Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch downgraded American lobster from “Good Alternative” (yellow) to “Avoid” (red). This rating is not based on lobster population health but on the risk of fishing gear entanglement with the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale—a population estimated at approximately 384 individuals.
The rating is used by over 25,000 businesses including Whole Foods, Blue Apron, HelloFresh, and Disney. Some retailers temporarily pulled lobster from menus after the downgrade. Maine's congressional delegation and governor publicly contested the rating.
Industry Response
The lobster industry has implemented significant changes to reduce entanglement risk:
- Weak links and breakaway sleeves: Required at 1,700 lbs breaking strength so entangled whales can break free.
- Seasonal closures: Thousands of square miles of fishing grounds closed when right whales are present (e.g., the South Islands area, Feb–Apr; LMA 1 area, Oct–Jan).
- State-specific gear marking: Color-coded buoy lines (purple for Maine, yellow for NH, red for MA) enable traceback of any entanglement event.
- Ropeless/on-demand gear: Timed-release, acoustic, and lift-bag retrieval systems under active testing and permitted in closed areas.
- Sinking groundline: All rope connecting traps along the bottom must sink to reduce vertical line in the water column.
MSC Certification
The Maine lobster fishery's Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) blue-label certification was suspended due to the right whale entanglement issue. This highlights the tension between a fishery that is biologically healthy for its target species and broader ecosystem-level concerns about bycatch risks to protected marine mammals.
Regulatory Outlook
The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 imposed a regulatory pause on new NOAA lobster gear restrictions through December 31, 2028. The Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Team is scheduled to resume meetings in 2026, with the next rulemaking expected no earlier than January 1, 2029. The right whale population has shown slow growth for three consecutive years, with an estimated 384 individuals and 11 calves born in 2024.