American Lobster Initiative
The Sea Grant American Lobster Initiative, funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Sea Grant College Program, is addressing critical knowledge gaps about American lobster and its iconic fishery in a dynamic and changing environment. The initiative, which began in 2019, supports both scientific research and a regional Sea Grant extension program in the Northeast U.S. Together, the research and extension components of this initiative will develop and share new knowledge and understanding with industry stakeholders and resource managers from Maine to New York.
Goal: Increase the American lobster industry’s resilience to the biological, economic, and social impacts of ecosystem change in the Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank, and southern New England.
2026 Program Updates
As you may have read, the next American Lobster Initiative 2026 call for research proposals will be managed by the Maine Sea Grant program. We are in the process of scoping research priorities for the call and really want your input! Please join us on March 7th at 10:30 in the Camden Room of the Samoset at the Maine Fishermen’s Forum to share your thoughts and discuss project ideas. While a portion of the funds for the call are in hand, we are awaiting federal apportionment to share the final funding level. The final level will be shared when the call is released, hopefully in late-spring/early summer.
Please check back here for updates, or email Michelle Brown with any immediate questions or to be added to our mailing list.
American Lobster Research Program
Since 2019, the National Sea Grant Office has funded 39 projects. Projects were chosen through a competitive process that included review by subject matter experts. The most recent research competition in 2024 solicited proposals aimed at addressing one or more of the following priorities:
- Increased understanding of life history parameters under changing climate conditions, including but not limited to, temperature, growth, and mortality;
- Species distribution and abundance in response to environmental change, including but not limited to deep water settlement
- Impacts of environmental change and or economic uncertainty on social systems, including but not limited to dimensions of community well-being, formal and informal governance structures, and workforce diversification
- Economic implications of policy and potential regulatory and/or other future resource management actions
Regional Lobster Extension Program
The seven Northeast Sea Grant Programs have developed a collaborative approach to supporting a regionally coordinated American lobster extension initiative, which will complement and enhance the American Lobster Research Program. This Extension Program will ensure that industry and management stakeholders across the northeast region benefit from research as part of the American Lobster Research Program and other regional efforts. Maine Sea Grant will provide leadership and overall coordination for the effort, and New Hampshire, MIT, WHOI, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New York Sea Grant programs will lead locally-relevant components that contribute to the regional effort and be engaged in regional activities. The extension objectives include:
- Members of the American lobster industry have an increased awareness and understanding of the biological, economic, and social impacts of ecosystem change in the Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank.
- Members of the American lobster industry, research, management, and fishing communities contribute to identifying attributes of a resilient lobster industry within the region.
- Members of the American lobster industry, research, management, and fishing communities contribute to identifying research, technical assistance and outreach needs related to building ecological, social and economic resiliency.
- Members of the American lobster industry, research, management, and fishing communities increase in cross-sector connections to enhance opportunities for collaboration going forward.