To Pay it Forward: Maine Lobstermen V-notch
MLA launches Season-Long
V-Notching Awareness Campaign
The MLA and the New England Fishermen’s Stewardship Association (NEFSA) are working together and launched a season-long campaign to promote v-notching, which is an industry-led conservation practice that protects breeding female lobsters to support a healthy, sustainable fishery.
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V-notching involves marking the tail of egg-bearing females before releasing them back into the ocean, ensuring they remain off-limits even after their eggs hatch. This simple but effective measure has been mandatory since 2002 and helps boost future lobster stocks.
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Become a Member Today!
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The Maine Lobstermen’s Association (MLA) has been the backbone of Maine’s lobster industry since 1954. As the oldest fishing industry organization on the East Coast, we are trusted, experienced, and deeply committed to protecting both our way of life and the resource it depends on.
Now more than ever, Maine’s lobster fishery is under pressure.
From new federal whale regulations to proposed changes in lobster management and development of offshore wind projects, the challenges facing our industry are real and immediate. Decisions made in Augusta and Washington directly affect your ability to fish, earn a living, and pass this tradition on to the next generation.
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That’s where the MLA comes in.
We are your voice at the table. We show up at the meetings, read every regulation, and fight every day to protect your right to fish. We are respected by regulators and industry leaders because we know the fishery, we know the facts, and we don’t back down.
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Why should you join?
Because the MLA is fighting for your future. Because thousands of your fellow lobstermen already trust us to represent their interests. Because strength in numbers matters when we’re up against powerful outside forces. And because together, we can shape a future where Maine’s lobster fishery remains strong, sustainable, and independent.
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Whether you’re a licensed harvester, a coastal business, or simply someone who cares about the future of Maine’s working waterfront, your support makes our voice louder and our impact stronger.
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Stand with the organization that stands with you and help ensure that Maine’s lobster industry remains a proud part of our coastal heritage.
OUR WORK TO PROTECT MAINE'S LOBSTERING HERITAGE CONTINUES...
🦞A Major Legal Victory for Maine’s Lobstermen🦞
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In June 2023, the Maine Lobstermen’s Association (MLA) secured a historic win when a U.S. Appeals Court ruled that the National Marine Fisheries Service’s (NMFS) Biological Opinion and ten-year whale plan, including its extreme 98% risk reduction mandate, are no longer valid.
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This victory followed MLA’s successful push for federal legislation in December 2022 that delayed new whale rules until 2029 and increased funding for right whale research in the Gulf of Maine.
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NMFS must now develop a new Biological Opinion and Final Whale Rule by the end of 2028, using up-to-date science that doesn’t unfairly target Maine’s lobster fishery.
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MLA will continue fighting to ensure that future whale protections also preserve our lobstering heritage but we need your help.
Support our work by making a financial contribution.
Want to donate a specific amount?
Enter any denomination in the box then click donate.
​Want to donate by mail?
Send check payable to MLA, 2 Storer Street, Suite 203, Kennebunk, ME 04043
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The Maine Lobstermen's Association is a 501(c)(6) organization and contributions are not deductible for
federal income tax purposes as a charitable contribution.
