American Lobster Board Approves for Public Comment Draft Addendum XXXII to Repeal Gauge and Escape Vent Measures of Addendum XXVII

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s American Lobster Management Board approved Draft Addendum XXXII for public comment. Responding to economic concerns from the lobster industry, the Draft Addendum considers repealing all Addendum XXVII measures pertaining to gauge and escape vent size limits. Concurrently, the Gulf of Maine states will work closely with industry to identify alternative conservation strategies and will report back to the Board at upcoming quarterly meetings. Under Addendum XXVII, changes to the current gauge and escape vent sizes in Lobster Conservation Management Areas (LCMAs) 1 (Gulf of Maine), 3 (federal offshore waters), and Outer Cape Cod were triggered based on observed declines in recruit abundance indices, with the original implementation date of June 1, 2024. In August 2024, the Board delayed the implementation date so that the series of changes to gauge and vent sizes, starting with an increase to the minimum gauge size in LCMA 1, would begin July 1, 2025. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 16:39

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