Worrisome Decrease in Baby Lobsters in the Gulf of Maine — Is the Boom Ending?

1398890327000-lobstersLast August we asked “Will The Maine Lobster Boom End in a Bust?” It doesn’t necessarily look like a bust, but scientists say that they now are seeing a drop in the number of baby lobsters on the bottom of the Gulf of Maine. After catching an average of 20 million pounds per year for decades, over the last several years, Maine’s lobster-men landed a record 125 million pounds of lobster. With the decreased number of baby lobsters being observed, many worry that they may be seeing the end of the lobster boom.

Decrease in baby lobsters worries fishermen

Comments

Worrisome Decrease in Baby Lobsters in the Gulf of Maine — Is the Boom Ending? — 2 Comments

  1. I’ve eaten so much of it when I was in my 20s, I have no interest in it anymore.

    Ya know, I always wondered what happened to all the seafood when its past its prime to sell.

    Is it dumped in a trash bin, or dumped back inthe sea?

    Animal feed, maybe?

    On another note,

    I remember reading about the history of the region way back then, that the lobster was given to the slaves or former slaves because white people back then thought it was trash and would not eat it.

    Now look at them, whites, blacks and the rest, they can’t eat enough, over fished it and cry cause the little ones are disapearing.

    Odd how things work out.

  2. Having sailed in RO/RO vessels for a couple of years, I am astonished that professional seaman would be using such seat-of-the-pants methods as roll period to determine the ship’s stability. Where was the stowage plan? It should have sent ashore showing a positive GM before the ship sailed. On a regular run the mate could become complacent but with a warm body cargo of 300, an extra margin should be added to allow for the fact that the critters move around. If they all rush on deck to look at the dolphins, you have a vertical shift of about 20 tons allowing the standard rate of 15 to the ton. This story smells of negligence.