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US: Lobstermen convince judge to lift antitrust rules

By  |  July 25, 2014

After a group of lobstermen petitioned to have certain antitrust restrictions on their business lifted, reports say a federal judge has decided to lift a consent decree that had been in place since 1958.

The Maine Lobstermen’s Association has asked the US Department of Justice, which first implemented the rules, to lift the restrictions that prevented members of the MLA from setting minimum prices that lobstermen could be paid for their catch.

The rules were first put into place to prevent price-fixing and anticompetitive collusion among lobstermen.

The Association released a statement last Thursday praising the judge’s decision to not object to lifting the restrictions on the business, describing the ruling as a “breath of fresh air.”

Reports say the Association is the largest commercial fishing industry trade group in the state of Maine.

Full content: Bangor Daily News

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