Gloom doom and despair....or not. There was a big thread right here last summer about this, and we feasted on cheap lobster on vacation. I remember in some places they had to give the lobster away.
http://notesfromalobsterfishingvillage.blogspot.com/2009/05/some-good-news-on-maine-lobster-fishing.html
Friday, 8 May 2009
Maine lobster population at an all time high
Some good news on the Maine lobster fishing front - a new stock assessment report says the lobster population in the Gulf of Maine is at an all-time high. You have to laugh because for years and years scientists have been harping on with doom and gloom about how the lobster population is declining. All the while, the Maine fisherman have been saying the reverse is true.
Now we have the data to prove it. As the article states:
There is a high abundance of lobsters and strong rates of replenishment in most of the Gulf of Maine and on Georges Bank. But there is low abundance and poor replenishment in southern New England and Massachusetts Bay.
Lots of dead water in westerly LI Sound. The commercial lobster catch in Connecticut was lower last year than at any time in the past 25 years (and therefore lower than at any time since the big 1999 die-off).
Stocks may reverse themselves but until then, lots of fishermen are out of business.
I heard the the black fish are in abundance and they'll eat the lobsters [stripers will as well.] One fisherman I know thinks all female lobsters should be thrown back to help reverse the trend.