PATRICK WHITTLE
Updated Fri, March 1, 2024
Max Oliver moves a lobster to the banding table aboard his boat while fishing off Spruce Head, Maine, on Aug. 31, 2021. America's lobster fishing business dipped in catch while grappling with challenges including a changing ocean environment and new rules designed to protect rare whales. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — America's lobster fishing business dipped in catch while grappling with challenges including a changing ocean environment and new rules designed to protect rare whales.
The lobster industry, based mostly in Maine, has had an unprecedented decade in terms of the volume and value of the lobsters brought to the docks. But members of the industry have also said they face existential threats from proposed rules intended to protect the North Atlantic right whale and climate change that is influencing where lobsters can be trapped.
Maine fishermen's catch in 2023 fell more than 5% from the year that preceded it, and the total of 93.7 million pounds of lobsters caught was the lowest figure since 2009, according to data released Friday by the Maine Department of Marine Resources. The figure tracks with the up-and-down year lobster fishermen experienced, said Dave Cousens a fishermen based out of Criehaven island and a former president of the Maine Lobstermen's Association.
The price of bait and fuel eased somewhat, but the volume of catch didn't seem to match other recent years, Cousens said. The Maine lobster haul has fallen from a high of 132.6 million pounds in 2016, though the 2023 year's figure was still much more than fishermen produced in most of the 2000s. The 2023 haul was also the second year in a row the total catch declined.
Fishermen who participate in Maine's lifeblood lobster industry are on edge about what the future holds, as lobsters have inched steadily northward as waters have warmed, Cousens said.
“We've gone down steadily from 132 million. We're going back downhill,” Cousens said. “There's no question climate change is affecting it.”
Fishermen from Massachusetts, Rhode Island and other Northeast states also harvest lobsters with traps from the cold waters of the Atlantic Ocean, but about 80% of the catch comes to the docks in Maine in a typical year.
The price of lobsters at the docks has ebbed and flowed in recent years, but it has stayed fairly consistent to consumers. The price at the docks spiked to more than $6.70 per pound in 2021 and fell to less than $4 per pound in 2022. Last year, it was a little less than $5 per pound, and the total catch was worth more than $460 million at the docks, according to data released Friday. That is the third highest figure of the last four years.
“The price Maine lobstermen received last year is a reflection of the continued strong demand for this iconic seafood,” said Maine marine resources Commissioner Patrick Keliher.
The state's fishermen have been in a lengthy legal battle with the federal government over rules designed to protect the whales, which are vulnerable to entanglement in fishing gear. The fishermen argue the proposed rules are so strict they could put them out of business, but conservationists say they are essential to save the whales, which number less than 360 in the world. A right whale found dead off Massachusetts this winter showed signs of entanglement in Maine gear.
The ways in which climate change is affecting the industry are a subject of ongoing scientific study. The southern New England lobster industry has collapsed as the ocean has warmed, and the waters off Maine logged the second-warmest year on record in 2022.
Lobster tagged in New Brunswick caught over 250 kilometres away in Maine
CBC
Sat, March 2, 2024
A lobster with the same type of tag attached to a lobster that was caught in the Gulf of Maine. The crustacean, part of a study by researchers at the University of New Brunswick, travelled from St. Martins, N.B. (Emily Blacklock - image credit)
Emily Blacklock was scrolling through social media when she spotted a video of a Maine fisherman hauling in an unexpected catch — a lobster with a tag from her research team found hundreds of kilometres away from where it was attached in New Brunswick.
"All of a sudden I saw one of our blue tags, so I ended up messaging him," she said.
"We all know it's possible that lobsters go from the Bay of Fundy to the Gulf of Maine, but the chance of him being the one to catch that lobster and make a video was fantastic."
Blacklock, a PhD candidate at the University of New Brunswick, is part of a team of researchers trying to find a way to identify the age of lobsters.
There is currently no way to tell exactly how old the crustaceans are, as their shells molt and are regrown. They don't show typical signs of aging like other species, so age estimates are normally based on size.
The study, led by UNB professor Rémy Rochette, has been taking tissue samples from small tagged lobsters since it started tagging them in spring 2022.
Blacklock and another PhD student in the lab have tagged about 2,250 from lobster fishing area 36 on the New Brunswick side of the Bay of Fundy. The zone spans from St. Martins to Deer Island.
Emily Blacklock, a PhD candidate at the University of New Brunswick, holds a lobster tagged as part of a study trying to determine their age.
(Emily Blacklock)
The tags attached to the lobsters are tiny pieces of plastic with a unique identification number and a phone number.
As fishermen call them in, Blacklock said her team takes additional samples so they can compare the tissue changes.
"The lobster is actually able to age with the tag, so if they molt the tag stays with the lobster. So it can be there as long as it takes until that lobster is caught again," she said.
All of the 82 lobsters called in so far have been in the Bay of Fundy, until the discovery in Maine.
Jacob Knowles, a fifth-generation lobster fisherman and a social media influencer, posted the footage of the catch in early January. He shared it with his audience of more than three million followers on TikTok, initially thinking it might be a "lottery lobster" tracked by the state of Maine.
In the video, he tosses it back in the ocean after writing down the phone number. It got more than two million views.
The UNB researchers have tagged about 2,250 so far, through lobster fishing area 36 on the New Brunswick side of the Bay of Fundy. The zone spans from Saint Martins to Deer Island.
(Emily Blacklock)
Blacklock saw it the next day and messaged Knowles to explain it was likely part of her study.
They eventually got in touch last week and she was able to explain how far the lobster had travelled – which Knowles shared with his audience in two update videos.
The lobster found in the Gulf of Maine, off the coast of Bar Harbor, had been tagged in Saint Martins, N.B. on Nov. 29, 2022, and had been in the water for 421 days.
"If we drew a straight line between those two locations, it would have been 256 kilometres," Blacklock said.
"It's probably much farther than that distance because we don't know the exact path it took to get there."
Blacklock said there are studies that have shown lobsters have the ability to travel long distances. But she said the chance of someone catching it and calling it in from that far away was "pretty fantastic."
The lobsters have been called in across the entire Bay of Fundy, from Digby, N.S., to Campobello Island.
The lobster is able to age and molt its shell without losing the tag. They each have a unique identification number and a phone number to contact.
(Emily Blacklock)
If someone catches a lobster with a tag, the researchers are asking them to call or text the phone number written on it. If it's in area 36, they'll buy it back.
For any lobsters outside of the zone, while the team can't buy it, they're asking for a picture of the crustacean with a gauge next to it for a measurement. The researchers would also like the co-ordinates to inform a separate study about how lobsters travel.
The lobster Knowles found was released, but he was able to share the exact co-ordinates, date and time where it was caught. Because of the tag in the picture, the researchers were able to estimate the size of the lobster.
The team is now making maps to see where the lobsters have gone, but the study is still in early stages. Once there are enough tissue samples, which could happen at the end of this spring fishing season, they'll be sent off for lab testing
Steam Lobster Tails In Beer For Elevated Flavor
Wendy Leigh
Fri, March 1, 2024
Steamed lobster tail on plate - Bartosz Luczak/Getty Images
Cooking with booze is nothing new, with countless recipes utilizing wine, bourbon, beer, and everything in between. Seafood gets its fair share of alcohol infusions, including beer-battered fish tacos, drunken shrimp (which uses absinthe), and poached branzino with beurre blanc (which uses white wine). While many home chefs treat lobster with kid gloves, often due to limited experience and high costs, there's no reason to avoid cooking lobster in your favorite booze. That's especially true if it's beer.
Steaming lobster tails in beer adds moisture to the meat while also elevating the flavor with malty, earthy notes. It's one of the easiest ways to transform plain lobster tails into a delicious ready-to-eat gourmet meal. You'll avoid the guessing game of choosing spices, rubs, and marinades, as well as deciding how much is too much or too little. The inherent flavors you already love in your favorite lager, ale, or pilsner will be what permeates those sea creatures -- even better if you complement your meal with the same cold brew.
Aside from the rich flavor infusion and moist texture, steaming lobster tails bypasses the fear of overbaking in a hot oven or over-charring on an outside grill. Lobster tails from a grocery store or fish market are typically sold raw or frozen. Steaming defrosted tails gets the entire job done in about 15 minutes with little effort on your part.
Read more: 15 Different Ways To Cook Fish
Steaming And Pairing Beer With Lobster
Cooked lobster tail split open - Lauripatterson/Getty Images
Prep time for making two beer-steamed lobster tails is typically five minutes or less, including bringing the beer to a boil in a stovetop pot. It only takes about two inches of beer in the bottom of the pan to create the stream, without it splashing onto the lobster. Place a stainless-steel steamer basket over the bubbling brew, lay the tails across the basket, reduce the heat, and cover. You can use either un-shelled lobster pieces or shell-on lobster tails, preferably slit lengthwise for easy access when eating. The cut only needs to go through the exposed outer shell, not through the meat itself.
That's pretty much it; just let the tails steam for about 10 minutes, more or less depending on size. Check sooner if you've removed the lobster meat from its shell before steaming. Feel free to add butter or flavoring to the beer, such as a bay leaf or garlic clove. To keep lobster tails from over-curling while they steam, slide a skewer through each tail.
Any type of beer works for steaming, but it helps to use ones that pair well with lobster, generally those with a mild to medium taste. Light, fruity cream ales are a good choice, as are peppery Belgian tripels, citrusy pale ales, and single IPAs or wheat beers. As with any food and alcohol pairing, the best type of beer for steaming lobsters will ultimately be the one you enjoy.
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