By Will Tuell

This summer, about 1,400 lobster fishermen — nearly 40% of the active fleet — participated in a survey of all license holders designed by Maine’s Department of Marine Resources (DMR) and the Lobster Advisory Council (LAC), which informs state policy on lobster fishing. At a Sept. 25 Zone A  meeting in East Machias, newly appointed DMR Commissioner Carl Wilson noted a key change: there are 2,000 fewer lobster license holders than there were 15 years ago when fishermen were last surveyed.