American lobster
Southern New England/Mid Atlantic
Profile updated on 30 October 2023
SUMMARY
SUMMARY
IDENTIFICATION
SCIENTIFIC NAME(s)
Homarus americanus
SPECIES NAME(s)
American lobster
COMMON NAMES
Atlantic Lobster, Maine Lobster, New England Lobster
Stock structure for American Lobster in the NW Atlantic is uncertain, particularly near the southern part of their range in the Georges Bank (GB), Gulf of Maine (GoM), and Southern New England (SNE) Area.
A recent benchmark assessment grouped what was a Gulf of Maine stock and a Georges Bank stock into one unit for assessment purposes (ASMFC 2015)(ASMFC 2015). This unit excludes any Canadian-managed stock in Lobster Fishing Area 41, The Bay of Fundy, and South West Nova Scotia. This profile covers the GoM-GB stock. It should be noted that the inshore portion of this stock contains a Marine Stewardship Council certified stock in Lobster Conservation Management Area (LCMA) 1. See (ASMFC 2016) Figure 1 for a map of the LCMAs.
ANALYSIS
- Managers utilized multiple management tools, such as limited entry, trap limits, size limits, and prohibitions on harvesting egg-bearing females, to reduce the exploitation of this stock (ASMFC 2019).
SCORES
Management Quality:
5.7
< 6
≥ 6
