NH Will Not Comply with New Lobster Guidelines

New Hampshire Gov. Kelly Ayotte said yesterday that New Hampshire will not comply with new guidelines that she said would hurt the state’s lobster industry.

In a letter to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, Ayotte said New Hampshire will not adopt new guidelines that increase the minimum size for lobsters caught in the Gulf of Maine.

The guidelines would increase the minimum size for catchable lobsters over the next two years. A spokesperson for Ayotte confirmed the governor would also not adopt a rule requiring lobstermen to increase the size of escape vents on traps.

The new rules are aimed at protecting the crop of young lobsters in the Gulf of Maine after scientific counts showed what regulators say has been persistently low lobster settlement over the past decade.

Lobstermen in New Hampshire have cast doubt on that data, saying the research does not reflect their experience of being on the water every day.

Ayotte said the new guidelines would also put New Hampshire at a competitive disadvantage in international trade because Canadian lobstermen aren’t subject to the same regulations.

Maine has also announced it would not comply with the new guidelines.