ROCKLAND, Maine (NEWS CENTER) -- Lobstermen are looking for a legal way to discuss record low lobster prices.

This year, soft shell lobsters, or shedders, appeared months earlier than they normally do, so lobstermen are finding an abundance of them in their traps. There is less demand for shedders because they don't ship well.

Lobstermen around Maine have been tying up their boats to cut costs and try to prevent prices from dropping any lower. They met Sunday afternoon in Rockland to discuss how to move forward. But fishermen are legally restricted when it comes to working together. If they collectively decide to take action to affect prices, they could be breaking federal anti-trust laws.  But many, like lobstermen Corey Rytky believe working together is the only way to find solutions. Rytky is hoping the lobstermen can form a super co-op that would make those types of discussions legal.

"As long as we're not allowed to talk, talk prices as a group, and don't form some sort of a co-op like that then we just can't fix that at all."

Most of the lobstermen at Sunday's meeting planned to haul traps on Monday for the first time in several days.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NEWS CENTER