The Maine Lobstermen's Association was founded in 1954. It is the largest commercial fishing organization on the East Coast. There are many reasons why a lobsterman in Maine may throw back a lobster. Oversize lobsters must be relinquished as well, because they are considered superstuds of the ocean that produce bumper crops of young. Lobstering naturally lends itself to careful conservation.
Lobstermen can make individual decisions about each lobster and throw back each reject alive.
Fish caught in great nets, on the other hand, are often brought up dead, so that throwing back any illegal catches does little good. Lobster traps do not damage the environment as dragging does, either. But for all the lobster fishery's pluses, pessimistic voices predominate among the scientists who study it. They see signs that the numbers of young are dropping. Lobster has officially been considered overfished for a couple of decades, and at some point the lobstermen may have to pay.