PROVINCETOWN – The Outer Cape Lobstermen’s Association and Maine fishermen say restrictions effective this month put a severe clamp down on fishing for breeding lobsters around the region.
The state decided to maintain the regulations for parity with federal rules, however local state-permitted lobstermen had been exempted since 2000.
Fishermen are required to mark breeding females with a v-notch and return them to the water to promote and maintain local populations.
Through molts, this notch shrinks with age. The cutoff for taking a notched lobster was a 1/8 inch notch, but is now 1/4 inch.
The impacted area extends from Provincetown’s Race Point to Chatham waters.
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