• Lobster is heavily regulated in the state of Maine.lobster image by pcphotos from Fotolia.com
  
  Lobster is one Maine's chief exports and serves as a symbol of the state's culture and economy. However, to maintain a healthy lobster population, the state and federal government regulate the catch. Many of the regulations help local industries and individual Maine residents appreciate their prized crustacean without harming the lobster population.
  
  

Sustainability Laws

• There are both federal and state regulations concerning which lobsters can be caught. The state of Maine dictates that lobsters smaller than 3 1/4 inches or larger than 5 inches in their shell region cannot be fished. The measurement is based on the extreme end of the lobster's eye to the end of the body shell. Fishermen in Maine must also throw back egg-bearing females. Female lobsters hold their eggs on their back legs. The eggs present underneath the mother are fully fertilized and number in the thousands. If a fisherman catches a female lobster with eggs, he must put a "v-notch" in the tail as a quick sign to other fishermen and let the female free. On the federal level, the Sustainable Fisheries Act of 1996 considers lobster a fragile animal in relation to its population. Under the act, no individual fisherman can keep over 500 lobsters a week or over 100 lobsters a day.
  
  

Regulations for All Fishermen

• Lobster buoys must have a non-commercial or commercial license number to designate ownership of the lobsters caught in the traps. Anyone who takes lobsters from a trap that is not theirs is stealing and subject to state theft laws. Fishermen also cannot fish during certain times of day. Fishermen must return to shore a half hour after sunset and cannot fish until a half-hour before sunrise June 1 to August 31.
  
  

Non-Commercial Regulations

• In 1996, Maine allowed all residents of the state the right to fish for their own lobsters. If a resident of Maine wants to fish for lobster, he must take a course sponsored by the Lobster Advisory Council. The resident must prove that he is a resident of Maine, be at least 8 years old and take the state-sponsored course on health and safety guidelines when dealing with lobsters. Upon successful completion of the course, the state will award the resident with a non-commercial license to fish for lobster and crab in Maine. A resident can fish for and consume crab or lobster he catches, but he cannot sell the crustaceans to any market, legal or otherwise. Only 10 non-commercial lobster traps are allowed for a non-commercial fisherman.