MAINE (NECN) --Could a tiny fish be the reason your lobster roll costs just a little bit more?
New quotas on herring are forcing Maine lobstermen to look at new types of bait to catch the crustaceans instead of traditional Atlantic herring.
Ian Mayo, operations manager for Maine Fisheries, a company that deals herring, says the cuts are "drastic" and will reduce his herring haul by "75 percent."
The quotas stem from new federal and regional regulations to protect a fish that has a population problem. The changes, crafted by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration and New England Fishery Management Council, were implemented after a sharp decline in Atlantic herring was recorded.