{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://golden.house.gov/media/press-releases/golden-statement-on-successful-effort-to-delay-lobster-gauge-increase", "Golden statement on successful effort to delay lobster gauge increase", "2024-10-21", "2024", "2024-10", "Democrat", "House", "ME", "Jared F. Golden", "G000592", "golden.house.gov", "golden", "https://golden.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2014 Congressman Jared Golden (ME-02) released the following statement today after the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASFMC) voted to delay for at least six months an increase to the minimum catchable size of lobster in the Gulf of Maine:\n\n\u201cThis new regulation was based on outdated data and would have benefitted Canadian lobstermen at Mainers\u2019 expense,\u201d Golden wrote. \u201cI\u2019ve worked hard with lobstermen to block it, and today\u2019s decision to delay implementation is an important step forward. I\u2019ll always stand with Maine lobstermen against unfair, unnecessary regulations that threaten their livelihoods and industry.\u201d\n\nLobstermen gauge the size of a lobster by measuring its carapace from eye socket to tail. Lobsters that are smaller than the minimum gauge size must be put back in the water so they can grow, protecting the lobster population for the future. The ASMFC claims lobster stock decline in Lobster Management Area 1 has surpassed 35 percent \u2014 the trigger point for an automatic increase in allowable catch size from 3 1/4 inches to 3 5/16 inches.\n\nHowever, Maine fishermen have questioned the data used to justify these changes, including concerns that ASMFC stock data is out of date. Since the proposal was introduced, Golden has written to the commission in April, August, and earlier this month.\n\nGolden\u2019s most recent letter noted that moving forward with the gauge increase is estimated to cause the loss of more than 680 jobs and $59.6 million to Maine\u2019s economy. Any such change in the Gulf of Maine would not apply to Canadian lobstermen.\n\nIn July, Golden introduced a bipartisan amendment to the federal budget that would block any proposed gauge increase for one year.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T21:57:20Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://golden.house.gov/media/press-releases/golden-statement-on-successful-effort-to-delay-lobster-gauge-increase"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.9933788571506739, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}