Cheryl Clegg Photographer Boston based editorial, news, THE ENDANGERED LOBSTERMEN PHOTO PROJECT,documentary photos, Maine photographer, commercial, advertising, education, executive portrait, political strategy, corporate headshot photographer.

The Endangered Lobstermen

“The Endangered Lobstermen” is a series of portraits of the men, women and children who lobster fish off of the Maine & New Hampshire coast and are at risk of losing their livelihood and their way of life as the lobster industry experiences changes and challenges.

Lobstering is a family business. If you are part of a lobster fishing family, most likely your parents, grandparents, great grandparents and great great grandparents were also lobstermen. You started out on the boat in some cases as an infant sleeping in a crate, with Mom & Dad pulling their traps. As you got older you were up before the sun with your mother, father, grandparent or Aunt & Uncle, filling the bait bags as the traps were hauled. You learned how to fish responsibly, throwing back any lobster that wasn’t mature enough, and you notched & threw back the females so the population would thrive. You took the apprenticeship classes in high school, and got your junior lobster fishing license to continue the family tradition. You saved your earnings from your catch & bought your first boat, traps and worked the 9 years to get your full license. The early mornings continued as you started your family and the cycle began again.

There are close to 5000 commercially licensed lobster fishers & 1085 licensed student lobster fishers in the state of Maine. The Maine lobster industry is facing a multitude of challenges. Pressing issues to the lobster industry include rising seas, warmer ocean temperatures in the Gulf of Maine (causing lobster to migrate to colder waters away from Maine), increased fuel & bait costs, offshore wind (windmills taking up ocean space that can not be used for lobstering anymore) and impending new regulations aimed to protect the endangered North Atlantic right whale. If you are a lobster fisher in Maine, you are self employed (as each boat is an individual business) navigating these challenges and the possibility that lobstering won’t be a profitable business anymore.

This series is on going as I continue to visit the many lobstering villages of Maine documenting the families that have fished for many generations to show the human side of what is at stake as new regulations to the industry are created and climate change takes over.

Update March 2025:

A federal judge has ruled that Maine lobster fishermen can proceed with a defamation lawsuit against the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program. The lawsuit stems from the program’s 2022 decision to place U.S. and Canadian lobster on its “red list,” advising consumers to avoid it due to risks to endangered right whales. The fishermen argue the designation harmed their industry’s reputation and led some retailers to pull lobster from shelves. Despite the aquarium's attempt to dismiss the case, the court found the fishermen presented a valid claim. The aquarium has since filed an appeal.

January 2025 update:

A win for Maine Lobstermen with the repeal of new size limit regulations

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission has withdrawn a controversial proposal that would have altered the minimum catch size for lobsters.

Originally intended to protect the juvenile lobster population, the proposed changes to trap vents and measurement gauges sparked years of debate. After a heated debate with Maine lobstermen, the Maine Department of Marine Resources Commissioner Patrick Keliher scrapped the new size regulation. “This decision is about ensuring the future of Maine’s lobster fishery,” Keliher stated. “We need regulations that make sense and support both sustainability and the livelihoods of our fishermen.”

January 2024 update:

The lobstering communities and the rest of the working waterfront in Maine experienced severe coastal flooding and devastation as extreme weather in Dec. 2023 and on Jan. 10 & 13, 2024 created unprecedented high tides and extreme flooding.

June 2023 update

The Maine Lobstermen had a major victory on June 23, 2023 in their fight to stay on the water and continue Maine’s lobstering tradition.

As reported by the Maine Department of Marine Resources:

“In its decision, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit agreed with the plaintiffs, Maine Lobstermen’s Association, and plaintiff-intervenors the Maine Department of Marine Resources, the Maine Lobstering Union, and the Massachusetts Lobstermen’s Association, ruling that NMFS distorted the science driving the regulation, relying improperly on assumptions and worst-case scenarios when determining the risk posed by industry to right whales. The court’s decision allows the current regulation to remain in effect while NMFS develops a new rule and does not impact recent Congressional action to delay further rule making until 2028.

“Maine’s lobstermen and women have long demonstrated their commitment to maintaining and protecting a sustainable fishery in the Gulf of Maine,” said the Maine Delegation and Governor Mills. “Today’s decision vindicates what the Maine lobster fishery, and the countless communities that rely on it, knew all along—that their practices support the conservation of the gulf ecosystem for generations to come. We are pleased the court has acknowledged that the data set NOAA has been using to unfairly target Maine’s fishery is flawed.”

The fight isn’t over, but it is a huge win for the Maine lobster industry.

December 2022 update:

In December. 2022, The lobster fishing community of Maine was given a lifeline after the Maine delegation to Congress put a clause in the annual spending bill to pause the new regulations (which were suggested to decrease the probability of harm by 90% to the endangered right whale, by a reduction of gear and more fishing restrictions) to the lobster fishing community for six years. This does not mean the threat to the lobster fishing community is over.The Maine Lobstermen’s Association and their legal department now have more time to prove their case in court.

Bobby Ingalls

“I'm the fifth generation of fishermen in my family and I have two adult boys that are lobstermen. I was first licensed to lobster fish at 12 years old in 1960. The license cost $5.00 with no restrictions. We were old school: used wooden traps, sisal rope, manila rope, a winch head with glass bottle for toggles and wooden buoys. I took over my father’s boat in 1963 and started fishing full time after high school in 1967, and I’m still fishing. The challenges in the industry are constant every year it is something else, we keep adjusting to make do.” -Bobby Ingalls Fifth generation lobsterman Bucks Harbor, ME

The Peltier Family

“In the storms of Jan. 2024 my boat parted it’s mooring, causing it to go to shore and the wharf I leased washed away. Other challenges we are faced with in addition to the impending regulations because of the endangered right whale include the gauge increase and on top of that are the offshore windmills which will bring a whole new set of issues we are unfamiliar with.” Eric Peltier 1st generation lobsterman 21 years a lobsterman Fishes out of Corea, Maine

Jacob Knowles

“Being red listed hurts the price of our catch!” -Jacob Knowles fishing his whole life, 29 years 5th generation lobsterman Winter Harbor, Maine

The Barrett family

“My husband has been fishing for two decades. We have already made the necessary changes to protect the right whale. It has cost tons of money to make these changes and it never seems to be good enough. Maine’s economy depends so much on the lobster industry. It would be a trickle down effect if there was no more lobstering.” -Lindsey Barrett ____ “Now that the courts have over turned their “worst-case” assumptions about Maine Lobstermen, lobster might be worth something this year. Last year was a bad hit for all of us. We took a hit in all directions. Like any business it takes a certain amount to run our business. The future in my eyes is sad with all of the of the rules and regulations that have been thrown at us. One thing that will make me think positive is if they let us fish like we always have; being respectful of our surroundings.” -Dean Barrett 25 years a lobster fisherman 4th generation lobsterman Addison, Maine

James Cody

“As I go into the 2025 lobster season I’m just as exited as I am every year to get back out in nature and on the ocean you never know what your gonna see while your out there and that’s part of the reason I love this industry. I feel very hopeful that the next 4 years of lobster fishing will be great. A lot of the concerns in the industry have been brought to light and is was proven that we were not in the wrong.” -James Cody 8 years in the lobster industry 1st generation lobsterman Port Clyde, Maine

The Crowley Family

“This is our life. How we support ourselves and many others- sternman & family, co-op workers, trap makers, boat builders, car salesman bait dealers, etc, The list goes on…..” Bruce Crowley Fishing for 60 years. 5th generation fishermen Corea, Maine

The Hinkle Family

“I have been commercial fishing since I was a young boy and have been full time lobstering since 2020. We have spent countless hours working on gear to follow regulations to help to protect the endangered right whale. Being ‘red listed’ caused prices to drop, meaning less money to pay for heat, food and shelter. I had to work other jobs to make up for that. The ‘red list’ also let us see how big the lobster community really is when the stores, schools, banks and other businesses stood as one to support this industry.” -What have you done to educate people about what you do as a lobstermen? “I have been using social media as a voice for the lobster industry. Using videos and photos to show how we sustainably lobster fish and have showed the rules and regulations that we follow. Showing the world behind the scenes of what lobstering looks like.From doing work on gear to showing the world egg bearing lobsters and explaining all of the little things that most will never see or ever know about lobstering. By doing this people from all over the world are exposed to the lobster industry, the good, the bad and the ugly.” -Thoughts on the future of the industry? “I have always thought the future of lobstering was never a worry. The older I get and the more regulations there are and the low prices of the lobsters make me wonder if my son and other future generations will be able to fish and enjoy as I do myself. My worries are not with the fishermen that chase the tide but with the outside organizations that want us gone.” -Thoughts on hopeless/on demand traps “I don’t think the hopeless traps will be able to work without the loss of fishing gear.” -Kelly Hinkle 2nd generation lobstermen Addison, MAine

The Faulkingham Family

"I don't know what I would do without lobstering. I've invested my life into lobstering. It's more than a job to me, it's my heritage. It's in my blood from my father and grandfathers before me. We are defined by the lobster industry." -Billy Bob Faulkingham, 5th generation fisherman, fishing 40 years. Winter Harbor, Maine

The Torre Family

My husband and I have both been lobstering since we were old enough to remember. It has always been a way of life around here, all kids grew up fishing with their families. Now we have four kids who we are raising on the lobster boat and want them to have the same chance we have had. Being red listed makes the future so uncertain not only for us to be able to support our large family but also for our kids who love fishing and want this to be their future as well.” Chelsea Torrey - lobster fishing industry her whole life, 30 years 4th generation lobster fisherman

The Backman Family

“I’m 47 and I’ve been fishing with Dad since I was 5 years old. I have kept up with all of the required laws to protect the right whale (breakways, purple line, etc.). The ‘red list’ has kept the price of lobster down, so we are struggling to get by more and more each year.I am also the Harbor Master in Winter Harbor (for about 10 years). I think if the the regulations move forward we will be out of business & this is all I’ve done my whole life.” -Fred Backman 4th generation lobsterman,fishing 42 years. pictured are 3rd, 4th and 5th generations

The Bridges Family

“Being put on the red list has affected my family and all of the other in the lobster fishing industry. As a result of the red list all of the restaurants, and chain stores that carry products based on what is and what is not red listed affects the very supply and demand we need as fishermen to try and acquire the best possible price for our product, lobster (Lobstering happens to be one of the most sustainable fisheries on the planet). The red list affects our income which in turn absolutely affects the very core of our operations. The overhead it takes to try and sustain a successful fishing operation is no small sum. We have got to spend money to make money they say, but we can’t spend money if we are not making it.” -Ryan Bridges 5th generation fisherman 34 years in the lobster fishing industry, 27 years full time fishing.

Wayne Beal Boats

“I fished for about 7 years and have been building boats for 3 years. The ‘red list’ affects us tremendously because if they shut down the industry the there’ll be no boats to build or rebuild. A lot of the community depends on fishermen and we’d be shutdown.” -Tyler Childers 3rd generation boat builder Wayne Beal Boats Jonesport, Maine

The Casey Family

”Being “red listed” brings in a lot of stress and insecurity. As a fishing family you’ve got all of your eggs in one basket, especially in a town with limited industries. I believe there is a future in lobstering but it will only be for a few….these regulations make it very hard for the younger generations to get in.” -Heather Casey Wife of a lobstermen Boothbay Harbor, Maine

Alex Varner

"I’ve been a sternman for 5 years starting in York, ME and now I work in Portsmouth NH. While I continue to work as a sternman, I have also built and run my own boat as well for the last 2 years on the coast of Portsmouth and New Castle, NH. I am a proud first generation New Hampshire lobster fisherman. Aside from the looming regulations including right whales, windmill development, and gauge increases, I’ve faced many challenges entering this industry. Being a first generation lobsterman is very difficult. Every first generation fisherman knows what I mean. You’re not just setting traps, you’re trying to establish yourself into a way of life and trying to compete with well-established lobstermen. When you’re the first person writing your last name on those buoys, everything is stacked against you. The Piscataqua River is the seventh strongest navigable river tide in the country, and it can make you a great fisherman. You learn quickly how the tides can cost you money and traps. I’ve always thought that hauling is the easy part of being a captain, it’s a mental game on and off the water, and it will bring everyone to their knees at one point or another. Physical strength will only get you so far, mental strength will provide longevity in this business. The math doesn’t always add up and you don’t always make money, but it takes a special kind of person to lose money and keep pushing forward. That’s what makes fishermen special. The persistence. The future of this industry is in danger. It’s not a rosy outlook to say the least. “The days of the free ranged cowboys are over” as Portsmouth NH lobster fishing legend Mike Flanigan told me when I was getting started. I think there can be cooperation on both sides of the fence, the government and fisherman. Things are definitely going to change but will it be for better or worse? Who’s to say. But we are fishermen, there isn’t anything we can’t adapt to. The fishery can’t dissolve into nothing. It provides clean unprocessed food to the world. It’s just going to look different than we all have gotten used to. Why do I do it? Purpose, in short. Lobster fishing is not a job, not a career, but a lifestyle. And only those who truly enjoy fishing can last in this fishery. I’ve had a fishing rod in my hands since I was 6 and you can imagine the smile on my face when I found out you could do it for a living. Through the ups and downs, it’s fulfilling. Knowing that you provide food for this country is a great feeling especially when it’s so much fun to catch. Special thanks to Peter Flanigan, Ed Foye, and Ed Grant, for helping me get started and being great members of the industry." -Alex Varner

The Colson Family

“Having our product, “lobster” red listed has persuaded a few businesses to stop buying our lobster. This has lowered the price and the supply is down. In all of my years fishing, this has to be the hardest due to the rising cost of fuel and bait being the most expensive it has ever been. That limits what we have money for:food, home heating fuel and various other amenities- all of this because of the whales.” -Tomi Colson 5th generation lobstermen 25 years fishing. “The Red list means less consumers buying lobster because they think we cause harm to right whales. This therefore lowers prices, dealers are not able to get rid of the product and this could potentially shut us down for good, not to mention the low price of lobster and the rising prices of bait, diesel, traps, rope etc. This if pushed forward with all of the cards against us lobster,en, could be the end of lobstering.” - Adam Colson - 5th generation lobstermen - 33 years fishing Corea, Maine

The Rodgers Family

“This is my job and this is how I feed my daughter. I don’t know what I would do if everything got taken away.” -Taylor Rodgers Fishing since she was 8 years old Corea, Maine

The LobStore of Winter Harbor, ME

“Being ‘red listed’ not only affects me and my family negatively but it also affects my community. A lot of hardworking people will lose their jobs because of it.” Preston Coddington, Manager at DC Air, Winter Harbor -25 years associated with the Maine Lobster fishing industry

The Hooper Family

“My business relies on the tourist industry. If people didn’t travel to Maine to get lobster, most of my business would be lost. Corea is known as a fishing, village that is what draws people here. My husband is a fisherman and without his income from lobstering we will not survive.” -Wendy Hooper Business owner of Lunch on the Wharf, Corea, Maine “Each year they make more demands for whale regulations and each year there are no whale deaths in the state of Maine due to our Lobster Industry” -Doug Hooper 30+ years lobster fisherman 2nd generation fisherman Corea, Harbor

The Lane Family

“The red list disproportionately lowers our price without cause or evidence. For 20 years we have followed the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan.” -Nathaniel Lane 1st generation fisherman 22 years in the lobster fishing industry

The Anderson Family

“The red list affects us by keeping a food product off shelves in certain areas, thus slowing quantity of lobster available to market and lowering demand nationwide.” -Herman Randy Anderson Fishing 50 years 3rd generation lobsterman From my series “The Endangered Lobstermen” Corea, Maine

The Beal family

”We have changed out rope, put in weak links, breakaways & sinking rope on our traps to protect the Endangered Right Whale. The “red list” has taken away 25% of the lobster market which affects our family’s income.” -Eric Beal , 5th generation fisherman 50 years fishing , -Joshua E. Beal 6th generation fishermen 25 years fishing , -The Beal Children 7th generation fishermen , Milbridge, Maine

The Renwick Family

“I have watched my Papa and Dad work on the boat since I was a little boy. I couldn’t wait ’til my 8th birthday so I could finally start my apprenticeship towards becoming a Maine Lobstermen. Over the last 5 years I have worked many hours alongside my Dad. He has taught me how to prepare my gear, safely navigate the boat and all about marine life. Becoming Red listed makes me nervous for my future and opportunity in lobster fishing.” -Wyliam Fishing since he was 8 years old. Bunkers Harbor, Maine

Phil Torrey

“We have made way too many changes to list to protect the endangered Right Whale. We have done everything we have been asked to do. The ‘red list’ not only affects my family, it affects my community and our way of life. It puts us in a shadow and makes us look like something we are not. We just wanna do what we’ve always done.” -Phil Torrey, Winter Harbor, ME 6th generation lobsterman Has been in the lobster industry for 50 years

The Hunt Family

“Not only does the industry support our livelihood, it is our heritage, our very essence. It supports coastal communities who give back to those in need. Red Listing this crucial industry will cripple the state. The thousands of families affected by this will be for generations” -Abigail , a part of the fishing industry for 25 years. Corea, Maine

The Chipman Family

“This directly impacts us in all aspects of our business. We catch our product, process our product, pack our products to ship and serve our products. This is not only our livelihood it is a lifestyle passed on from each generation. This is our way of life. Not a day has passed in my life that hasn’t had lobster in it. Some of my children, the next generation may not have the opportunity to fulfill their dreams someday fishing they way they have been taught to do. This is in their blood.” -Chris Chipman Lobster fisherman for 45 years Got his fishing license when he was 3 years old Milbridge, Maine

The Farnsworth Family

“The “red List” promotes the idea that fishermen are doing something wrong. It doesn’t acknowledge that we are the most sustainable fishery in the U.S. The “Red List” means less people buying lobster and more people spreading false information” -Leigh Farnsworth 1st generation lobster fishing woman Fishing 26 years Corea, Maine

The Snider Family

“It affects everything by lowering my family’s income” -Jason 2nd generation fishermen 20 years fishing Milbridge, Maine

Brittany Dunbar

“I’m a single Mom to two boys. Fishing I show I provide for my family.” “Seafood prices are determined by supply and demand. When the red listing drives demand down, we lose money on our price. Bait and fuel are already at an all time high, and the lobster price is super low (the only commodity that hasn’t increased with inflation). With impending whale regulations already threatening our industry, we can’t afford another hit on our price.” - Brittany Dunbar - 20 years lobstering - 5th generation fisherman Corea, Maine

The Kelley & Beal Family

"I have complied with all of the regulations forced by NOAA (whale safe rope, weak links & color marking rope). Being red listed is a real disheartening and a stressful situation. We are being penalized for doing an excellent job of all that we have reenforced to do (for the right whale. If this 90% reduction in gear goes through, it will be impossible for me and all fishermen to support our families. Lobster fishing is all I have known, all of my life, it’s a way of life that my family loves and enjoys. Zero deaths or entanglements in 20 years should speak for itself but it doesn’t seem to.” -Charles Kelley 58 years a lobstermen 4th generation fishermen Pictured: 4th, 5th generation fishermen

Cassie Floyd

“I have been around the industry my whole life and fishing since I was 11 years old. I have known my whole life I have wanted to be a fisherman (woman). It is not only how I support myself and my son, it is our way of life. It is all I have every known. Now it is all I know how to do, and all I will ever do. What they are trying to do will impact ours and so many lives with devastating affects.” With everything that is happening, the future of fishing is really worriesome for me and my son.” 5th generation fisherman

The Jones-Bayley Family

" Fishing runs in our veins. Whether we spend our days on the ocean or looking at it through a window waiting for our family to return, it's who we are. We care deeply for every creature that resides in our Atlantic. We are fantastic Stewards of the Ocean. This madness and the misinformation being spread about us killing Whales has got to stop! We don't deserve this. We deserve to thrive." -Melissa Jones-Bayley 5th generation

The Betts Family

“I moved to Stonington at 16 as an emancipated adult. This small fishing town has given me opportunities in my life that I never thought I would have. When I found out I was going to be a father, this town helped me to overcome addiction of prescription pain killers. Lobster fishing has given me the opportunity to provide for myself, my two children, my stepson and it has allowed me to become a foster parent to my nephew. Without the lobster industry there are no other options for me to provide for my family in the community or the surrounding communities. -Justin Betts Sternman on F/V Intuition