At a September 6, 2007 business meeting the Marine Fisheries Advisory Commission (MFC) approved regulations to comply with Addendum XI to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for American Lobster. Addendum XI rules enact maximum sizes and a more protective v-notch definition (detailed in Table 1) affectig commercial fishermen in inshore Lobster Conservation Management Areas (LCMAs) 2, 4, 5, and 6 the offshore LCMA 3. These rules are will become effective July 1, 2008.

For Massachusetts commercial fishermen, the changes include a first-ever maximum carapace size in LCMA 2 (5 ¼”) and LCMA 3 (7”), and a more protective v-notch definition governing the possession of marked female lobsters in LCMA 3. The v-notch possession standard that has been in effect since 2006 in LCMA 2 is now extended to LCMA 3 and the other lobster areas of southern New England (LCMAs 4-6). The Division of Marine Fisheries considered, but did not recommend at this time, extending those measures certain measures to the Outer Cape Cod LCMA. Revised regulations affecting recreational fishermen became effective on January 1, 2008.

The Addendum calls for the southern New England stock to be rebuilt within 15 years (about 2 generations of lobsters, through a reduction in fishing mortality to eventually rebuild the number of pre-recruit and recruited lobsters to double the level seen in the last (2003) stock assessment.

Table 1. Summary of approved changes for LCMAs 2, 3, 4, 5, & 6 (effective July 1, 2008)

For more information, contact DMF at 617-626-1520 or online at www.mass.gov/marinefisheries.