Regulations for Lobster Fishing in Maine

A Maine lobster-fishing license, commercial or noncommercial, can be held only by a Maine resident. Unlicensed individuals may not operate a lobster boat or handle any lobster gear, buoys or lobster traps. An unlicensed person may not even touch a lobster or measure it during the harvesting process. There are various licensing fees which can range from fifty-six to nearly five hundred dollars a year. Classifications and fees are subject to change on a yearly basis.

The state of Maine has regulations for lobster gear, as well. You must have distinct, marked buoys to distinguish your gear from that of any other fisherman in the area. Your lobster buoys must have distinct colors and patterns, as well as an easily identifiable license number on them.
The buoy colors and design must also be clearly displayed on your boat: on both sides of the hull as well as on the forward topside. Alternately, you can mount a buoy to the boat, making sure it's clearly visible from both sides.
It is against the law for anyone but you to haul, lift, raise, bait or set a buoy or trap that is marked with your license number. All traps must have current state-issued tags attached to them. A commercial tag must be attached to the bridge of each lobster trap. Traps must also have biodegradable escape hatches built into them, in case one gets lost at sea.

It is against the law to raise or haul gear from a half hour after sunset until a half hour before dawn between June 1 and October 31 of each year. From June 1 to August 31, it is against the law to haul or raise gear after 4 p.m. on Saturday until a half hour before sunrise on the following Monday.

A lobster is measured by an official state of Maine double-sided gauge. The legal length of a Maine lobster carapace or body has to be between 3.25 inches and 5 inches. The official measurement has to be from the extreme rear of the eye socket along a parallel line to the center line of the shell on to the rear of the body. Any illegal-sized lobster must be thrown back into coastal waters.

There are serious fines in the lobster harvest industry. Fines start at 50 dollars for a violation plus fines for each individual lobster taken or sold. A fine of fifty dollars for the violation and one hundred dollars per lobster is levied on anyone that is caught with an egg-bearing female. Anyone caught taking lobster eggs will be fined five hundred dollars plus one hundred fifty dollars for each lobster that has been stripped.
All lobstermen in Maine take part in the mandatory program that requires that each egg-bearing female have a V-notch cut into its flipper and be released back into the water.