NOAA Fisheries Northeast Regional Office - Sustainable Fisheries Division

NOAA Fisheries Service - State, Federal and Constituent Programs Office Banner

FISHERY MANAGEMENT PLANS
AMERICAN LOBSTER

Implementing regulations for these fisheries are found at 50 CFR Part 697 Subpart A & B

The American Lobster fishery is managed by NOAA Fisheries Service in Federal waters under the Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative Management Act and in state waters under the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission Interstate Fishery Management Plan. The fishery regulations control lobster trap fishing effort based on historic participation in three Lobster Management Areas (LMAs) including LMA 3, the offshore waters of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), and LMAs 4 and 5, the nearshore EEZ from New York to North Carolina. Federal lobster permit holders who intend to fish for lobster with trap gear during the fishing year are required to designate lobster management areas and tag all lobster traps. Federal lobster regulations require Federal permit holders to abide by the most restrictive of either state or Federal trap limits. To view images of this fishery, please click here.

	Features
	Recent Announcements February 2, 2012 - Lobster Trap Tag Ordering Instructions 2012 Fishing Year (May 1, 2012 – April 30, 2013) November 18, 2011- NOAA seeks comments on proposed Federal Area 1 lobster trap permits cap Recent And Upcoming Actions Proposed Rule; Request For Comments; American Lobster Fishery; Proposed measures that would control lobster trap fishing effort in Area 1 (Federal inshore waters - Gulf of Maine) E-Mail comments may be submitted, identified by NOAA–NMFS–2011–0234 via the Federal eRulemaking Portal http://www.regulations.gov Public comments must be received no later than 5 p.m. eastern standard time on January 3, 2012 Supporting Documents - EA/RIR/IRFA Information Sheets Summary of Regulations Fishing Year 2011 Demographic And Economic Trends In The Northeastern United States Lobster (Homarus americanus) Fishery, 1970–2005 (NEFSC Reference Document 07-17, 10/26/07) Lobster Sexual Identification Table Fixed Gear Buoy and Line Marking Requirements in the Northeast Charts — Fishery Specific Charts Forms - Permit Applications And Request Forms FishWatch - U.S. Seafood Facts American Lobster