Biological and Economic Effects of Increasing the Minimum Legal Size of American Lobster in Maine
- 1 January 1982
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Oxford University Press (OUP) in Transactions of the American Fisheries Society
- Vol. 111 (1) , 1-12
- https://doi.org/10.1577/1548-8659(1982)111<1:baeeoi>2.0.co;2
Abstract
The Northeast Marine Fisheries Board recently completed a comprehensive management plan for American lobster H. americanus, the most important provision of which is to raise the legal minimum size of lobsters from 81 to 88.9 mm carapace length incrementally over 5 yr. Its objective is to increase egg production and recruitment, reducing the likelihood of stock failure; economic benefits are anticipated for fishermen. A model used to analyze the frequency distributions of some 9000 Maine lobsters demonstrates that in every year the legal minimum size is increased, smaller numbers and less weight of lobsters would be landed than at present. After the legal measure reaches 88.9 mm, there most likely still would be fewer lobsters harvested, but a 7.9% increase in landed weight due to increases in yield/recruit. An economic analysis by 2-stage least-squares regression demonstrates that these changes in catches would result in a loss in total revenue to the Maine lobster industry in all 5 yr that the legal measure is increased. After it has reached 88.9 mm, total revenue to lobster fishermen most likely would be 5.5% higher than it is currently.This publication has 0 references indexed in Scilit: