9/21/2026

MLA Statement on Rising Fuel Prices

 

"Rising fuel prices are putting renewed pressure on Maine’s lobster businesses at a time when operating costs are already high and the market is sluggish. Maine lobstermen are small owner-operator businesses, and fuel affects far more than the cost of running the boat. When diesel prices rise, the cost of bait, traps, equipment, and nearly everything else needed to operate a lobster business rises with it.

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Those increases add up quickly. Lobstermen cannot simply pass higher costs on to customers; they sell their catch at the price their dealer pays. That means rising expenses come directly out of the bottom line and can quickly erode already-thin profit margins. If costs continue to rise faster than earnings, fewer boats will be able to afford to keep fishing and delivering lobsters to the dock.

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Maine lobstermen are constantly adapting to remain profitable, controlling expenses where they can by slowing the boat down to save fuel or taking fewer trips to reduce operating costs. But there is only so much efficiency that can offset rapidly rising costs.

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A strong lobster industry depends on keeping operating costs from outpacing what these small businesses can earn."

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Patrice McCarron, Executive Director

 

9/15/2026

MLA Statement on Northeast Lobsterman Protection Act moving to Senate Commerce Committee

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"MLA is grateful to Senators Collins and King for their longstanding leadership in defending Maine’s thousands of lobstermen, crew, and families who depend on the lobster industry. MLA joins them in urging Senators Cruz and Cantwell to advance the Northeast Lobsterman Protection Act of 2026 through the Senate Commerce Committee.

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The right whale population is recovering, giving regulators the time needed to ensure future whale regulations are based on sound science and real-world data—not assumptions—while protecting fishing families and coastal communities from needless economic harm."

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Patrice McCarron, Executive Director​