AP cites Wahle, American Lobster Settlement Index in report on baby lobster decline
The Associated Press mentioned University of Maine marine scientist Rick Wahle in a report about interstate fishing regulators saying the way the lobster fishery is managed needs to be fine-tuned because of a drop in the number of baby lobsters in New England waters. Wahle said the population of baby lobsters appears to be declining in parts of the American lobster fishery, which is based in the Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank regions and stretches from Canada to Massachusetts. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission said it’s beginning a push to protect lobsters by developing more consistent management measures for the fishery, according to the report. Wahle’s American Lobster Settlement Index shows monitoring sites from New Brunswick to Cape Cod have some of the lowest levels since the late 1990s or early 2000s, the report states. The Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, U.S. News & World Report and Houston Chronicle carried the AP report.