LIFE IN THE GRAY ZONE: A DISPUTED BORDER AT THE CENTER OF A CHANGING LOBSTER FISHERY

Author

• Skyler CummingsFollow

Year of Award

2026

Document Type

Professional Paper - Campus Access Only

Degree Type

Master of Arts (MA)

Degree Name

Environmental Science and Natural Resource Journalism

Department or School/College

Journalism

Committee Chair

Nadia White

Committee Co-chair

Joe Eaton

Commitee Members

Margiana Petersen-Rockney

Abstract

The Gray Zone, a long-disputed 210-square-mile stretch of ocean between Maine and Nova Scotia, has emerged as a critical and contested hub in the shifting North American lobster industry. As changing waters in the Gulf of Maine drive lobster populations northward and offshore, fishermen from both the United States and Canada increasingly converge on this shared space, intensifying competition over a valuable resource. The story follows Maine Marine Patrol officer Alison Gauvin and local lobstermen as they navigate a complex reality shaped by overlapping jurisdictions, differing conservation rules and rising economic pressures.

Despite operating under conflicting regulatory systems, fishermen on both sides maintain a fragile cooperation at sea, where survival in extreme conditions often outweighs national divisions. Yet onshore, political tensions, trade disputes and stalled negotiations threaten to destabilize this balance. The narrative traces the historical roots of the dispute, from the unresolved boundary decision following the International Court of Justice’s 1984 Gulf of Maine ruling to Canada’s 2002 policy shift that intensified competition in the area.

Through the experiences of fishermen, scientists and policymakers, the story highlights the broader challenges facing the industry, including climate change, declining and shifting stocks, rising operational costs and generational uncertainty. The Gray Zone becomes a microcosm of these intersecting forces, where ecological change and political inaction collide. Ultimately, the piece reveals a community bound by both conflict and interdependence, where livelihoods, conservation and international relations are as tightly entangled as the lobster lines beneath the surface.

Recommended Citation

Cummings, Skyler, "LIFE IN THE GRAY ZONE: A DISPUTED BORDER AT THE CENTER OF A CHANGING LOBSTER FISHERY" (2026). Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers. 12647.
https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd/12647