There is no closed Maine lobster season. Traps can legally be set in state waters every day of the year, and lobsters are landed in every month.1Maine.gov. Legal Haul Times 2026 The fishery has a strong seasonal rhythm, though. Catches stay low through winter and spring, then surge in late June or early July when lobsters migrate inshore and start molting. Late summer through fall is when the vast majority of Maine’s lobster is caught, with August through November accounting for the year’s biggest landings.2Maine Sea Grant. Maine Seafood Guide – Lobster
When Maine Lobster Catches Peak
The practical season most people have in mind runs from roughly late June through November. Warming water pushes lobsters closer to shore and triggers molting. Newly molted lobsters, locally called shedders, have softer shells and sweeter meat, and they’re easier to catch because they’re actively feeding. Hard-shell lobsters are available too, especially earlier and later in the window. If you’re planning a trip around lobster, late July through October is the sweet spot for both availability and price.
Winter and spring are quieter. Lobsters move to deeper, colder water, traps produce less, and wholesale prices climb. Lobster is still available year-round from dealers and restaurants, but buying directly off a boat at the dock is largely a summer-and-fall experience.
When You Can and Can’t Haul Traps
Traps can be set at any time, but there are windows when you cannot haul them. The Maine Marine Patrol publishes these restrictions each year, and the 2026 rules apply to both commercial and recreational harvesters.1Maine.gov. Legal Haul Times 2026
- June 1 through August 31: no hauling from half an hour after sunset until half an hour before sunrise. Weekends are also restricted, with no hauling from 4:00 p.m. Saturday until half an hour before sunrise Monday.
- September 1 through October 31: no hauling from half an hour after sunset until 4:00 a.m.
- November 1 through May 31: no hauling restrictions. You can pull traps at any hour.
The summer weekend closure catches most recreational fishers off guard. If you’re planning a Saturday haul, finish before 4:00 p.m. or wait until Monday morning. A hurricane warning issued by the National Weather Service lifts the weekend restriction temporarily.
Fishing Recreationally for Your Own Lobster
To fish for lobster recreationally in Maine, you need a noncommercial lobster and crab fishing license from the Department of Marine Resources. You must be at least 8 years old and pass a written exam covering lobster biology, regulations, and conservation practices.3Justia. Maine Code Title 12 – 6421 Lobster and Crab Fishing Licenses Once you pass, you don’t retake it at renewal. The exam runs through the DMR’s lobster and crab fishing education program.4Maine State Legislature. Maine Revised Statutes 12 Section 6423 Lobster and Crab Fishing Education Program
A noncommercial license lets you fish up to five traps at a time. No matter how many licensed people are aboard the same boat, the vessel cannot carry more than ten trap tags total.3Justia. Maine Code Title 12 – 6421 Lobster and Crab Fishing Licenses Your buoys must display a unique color pattern that you register with the state on your license application. Every trap needs properly sized escape vents: either a single rectangular opening at least 1¾ inches by 5¾ inches, or two circular vents each at least 2¼ inches across.5Maine State Legislature. Maine Revised Statutes 12 Section 6433 Escape Vents
Your catch is for personal use only. You cannot sell lobster, remove meat from the shell, or transport lobster parts under a noncommercial license.3Justia. Maine Code Title 12 – 6421 Lobster and Crab Fishing Licenses You must also follow the same size limits and conservation rules as commercial fishers. Keeping undersized, oversized, egg-bearing, or V-notched lobsters is illegal regardless of license type.
Size Limits and Protected Lobsters
Every lobster you keep must have a carapace, the body shell measured from behind the eye socket to where the tail begins, between 3¼ inches and 5 inches long.6Maine.gov. Guide to Lobstering 2025 Anything shorter is too young to harvest. Anything longer is a proven breeder whose reproductive value to the population outweighs its value on a plate. Fishers carry a brass gauge to measure each lobster on the spot.
Two other categories are always off-limits. The first is any female carrying eggs on her underside. When a fisher catches an egg-bearing female, the law requires cutting a small V-shaped notch into her right tail flipper before releasing her. That notch marks her as a protected breeder even after she drops her eggs, because the mark persists through several molts.7Maine State Legislature. Maine Code Title 12 – 6436 Egg-Bearing Lobsters and V-Notched Lobsters The second is any female with an existing V-notch or any mutilation of that flipper that could hide one. Both categories are illegal to keep, sell, or transport.
What “Getting a Commercial License” Actually Involves
If your interest goes beyond five traps for the freezer, know that a commercial lobster license is not a matter of paperwork and a fee. Maine uses a limited-entry system. Before you’re eligible to apply, you must complete a mandatory apprenticeship of at least 1,000 documented fishing hours across a minimum of 200 days, all within a period of no less than 24 months.8Cornell Law School. 13-188 CMR ch. 25 Section 96 – Lobster Apprentice Program New licenses are only issued when existing holders retire or leave, and the exit-to-entry ratios in most of the seven coastal zones mean finishing the apprenticeship can be followed by a wait of years.9Cornell Law School. 13-188 CMR ch. 25 Section 93 – Management Framework for Limiting Lobster Fishing Effort
Penalties for Keeping Illegal Lobsters
Maine treats conservation violations as crimes, and the fines escalate with the number of illegal lobsters involved. Possessing egg-bearing lobsters is a Class D crime. The court imposes a mandatory $1,000 fine per offense plus $200 for each lobster involved up to five, and $400 for each lobster beyond five. When the exact number cannot be determined, the fine ranges from $2,500 to $10,000.7Maine State Legislature. Maine Code Title 12 – 6436 Egg-Bearing Lobsters and V-Notched Lobsters
Keeping V-notched lobsters carries a separate structure: a $500 base fine per violation, plus $100 for each lobster up to five and $400 for each beyond five. If the number is unknown, the fine ranges from $1,000 to $5,000.7Maine State Legislature. Maine Code Title 12 – 6436 Egg-Bearing Lobsters and V-Notched Lobsters Both offenses are classified as crimes rather than civil violations, so a conviction creates a criminal record on top of the financial hit.