Patrick Whittle and Robert F. Bucati
STONSINGTON, Maine (AP) — Virginia Olsen has been pulling lobsters from Maine’s chilly Atlantic waters for decades, watching the threat to the state’s lifeline industry mount.
Olsen, part of the fifth generation of the family to make a living through lobster trade, said trade imbalances with Canada, strict regulations on fishing and fishing, and offshore wind farms towering like open water skyscrapers pose three threats.
That’s why she was encouraged last month when President Donald Trump signed an executive order pledging to restore American fishing to its previous glory. The order promised to shred the fisheries regulations, and Olsen said that fishermen would allow them to do their best – fish.
That would make a big difference to communities like the Stonington House, the country’s busiest lobster fishing port, Olsen said. It’s a winding street in a small island town with seagulls and mansard rooftop houses swooping down, with an economy that relies almost entirely on commercial fishing for around three hours from Portland, Maine’s largest city.
Olsen knows firsthand how much has changed over the years. Hundreds of fish and shellfish populations have fallen to low levels worldwide, bringing scientists vigilance and urges limits and catch restrictions that could cause Trump’s order to be washed away by pen strokes. But she truly carries in the heart that the livelihood of people who manipulate traps and cast nets has become a priority in far away places where they often feel they can’t hear them.
“I think it’s time to have a conversation about the regulations the industry needs. We’re not like we were 100 years ago,” she said. “If everything is seen, we need to consider regulations within the fisheries.”
The lobster fishing boat is moored on Friday, May 2, 2025 in Stonington, Maine. (AP photo/Robert F. Bucati)
Commercial Lobster Fisherman Virginia Olsen Sits for a portrait in Stonington, Maine on Friday, May 2, 2025 (AP Photo/Robert F. Bucati)
File – Lobster defends its territory in front of a trap in Bideford, Maine on September 3, 2018 (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukati, File)
Lobster is part of the decorations at the Harbor View Store in Stonington, Maine on Friday, May 2, 2025 (AP Photo/Robert F. Bucati)
1 of 4
The lobster fishing boat is moored on Friday, May 2, 2025 in Stonington, Maine. (AP photo/Robert F. Bucati)
Enlarge
Sustainability and competitiveness issues
But if fishing and lobster interests are finally sitting at the table, the question is how much seafood you can serve there, and how long will it take? Trump’s April 17th order, called “Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness,” promises an overhaul of American fishing methods, citing a national seafood trade deficit of over $20 billion for reasons. The order calls on the federal government to ease the regulatory burden on fishermen by later this month.
It arrives when conservation groups and many marine scientists say the ocean needs more regulations. One 2020 study, led by scientists at the University of British Columbia, examined over 1,300 fish and invertebrate populations and found that 82% were below levels that could produce the largest sustainable yield. The university said the study “discovered a global decline in many species that are commonly consumed.”
Trump’s orders place business prioritization over conservation. We also seek to develop a comprehensive seafood trade strategy and review the existing marine monuments, an underwater conservation zone, to see if they should be open for fishing. At least one is a Pacific Islands Heritage Marine Corps National Monument, but has already reopened.
Many commercial fishermen and fisheries trade groups praised the order. One of the oldest in the country, industry members have long argued that heavy regulations intended to protect the health of fish populations – a competitive disadvantage for a country’s fleet that does not carry the same kind of burden. The disadvantage, they argue, is a big part of why America imports more than two-thirds of its seafood.
“The President’s executive order recognizes the challenges faced by fishermen and communities, and we are grateful for our commitment to reducing burdensome regulations and enhancing the competitiveness of American seafood.”
Some fishermen, including Maine Lobster Don McKennan, said they are looking forward to members of the industry who can fish in the ocean areas that have been closed to them for years. Mchenan said he hopes the new regulations will slow down.
“Unless they put it on us any more,” McKennan said. “I understand – I know the time.”
Not all fishermen are on board
However, support for deregulation is not unanimous among fishermen. Some say strong conservation laws are important to protect the species fishermen rely on for a living.
In Alaska, for example, Matt Wiebe said executive orders would “terrorize him.” The commercial fisherman who has fished salmon for over 50 years said the order could harm the Sockey Salmon Fisheries in Bristol Bay, which has received praise from sustainability organizations for careful management of fish supply.
Without that management, he said the world’s largest socky salmon fisheries could follow the path of New England’s cod fishing business.
“Since New England fishermen lost their cod fisheries due to overfishing, many other fisheries have come to respect and rely on conservation efforts,” Weaby said. “We’re what we do and our conservation efforts mean that we and our children can fish in the future.”
The executive order arrived as American commercial fishermen were dealing with environmental challenges and some sort of decline in the market once. Maine’s historic shrimp fishing industry has been struggling through the closures of California’s salmon industry, which closed more than a decade ago, and the number of fish stocks on the federal government’s overfishing list has been rising in recent years.
There is also the looming question as to what Trump’s trade war with major seafood producers like Canada and China means for the US industry, let alone American consumers.
For many people in the lobster and fishing business in Maine, the answer is clear. Cut regulations and let them do their thing.
“We definitely feel that the entire industry is overregulated,” said Dustin Delano, fourth-generation Maine Lobster, who is also the Chief Operating Officer of the New England Fishermen’s Stewardship Association. “I hope this will definitely help. We are about to launch America’s first strategy in the fishing industry.”
Original issue: May 9, 2025, 12:24pm EDT
