NOAA report finds Gulf of Maine warming slowed for now, but ecosystem remains unstable

MAINE MONITOR • July 24, 2026

Maine’s fishing ports are doing well for now, but climate change is destabilizing the Gulf of Maine, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s latest “State of the Ecosystem” report for New England waters. They found that some Maine fishing ports are growing busier, likely driven by the high price of lobster. And 2025, like 2024, offered slightly cooler water temperatures after more than a decade of rapid and record-breaking warming in the Gulf of Maine. But the scientists predict that  temperatures will warm again this fall, and will continue to rise long-term as the burning of fossil fuels releases greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. To weather these ongoing changes, fishermen and their communities need to diversify their businesses, experts say.