Protections for southern New England's lobsters up for vote
PORTLAND, Maine — Southern New England's fading lobster population is the subject of a debate about possible protections to save it.
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission's American Lobster Management Board is considering the status of the lobster fishery at a meeting on Monday.
The board is discussing a potential motion to create new management measures that address the lobsters' decline.
In 2013, the number of adult lobsters in New England south of Cape Cod was estimated at about 10 million. That is one-fifth the total in the late 1990s.
Lobster catches remain high off of Maine and Canada. Scientists say one of the chief reasons for the northward shift is that the ocean is getting warmer.
Monday's vote could bring new regulations or conservation measures to the southern New England fishery.
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