The New England Lobstering Profession: Components and Optimal conditions for a Successful Harvest :: Essays Papers

The New England Lobstering Profession: Components and Optimal conditions for a Successful Harvest Imagine the aroma of ocean air, fog horns sounding, sea birds singing and coast winds blowing while you float across the waves of the Atlantic Ocean in Maine. Lobstering thrives in the Gulf of Maine due in large part to favorable lobster habitat. Rocky coasts and cobbley bottoms allow young lobsters to hide from their predators such as small coastal fish, crabs and even other lobsters. Interestingly, the gulf of Maine has seen a huge increase in lobster populations in the 1990s. This population pressure is causing young lobsters to move from secure cobble to the Gulf’s abundant sandy bottoms. Consequently, lobstermen are following. The Maine lobster, a crustacean from the family Homarus americanus, is found on the east coast of the Atlantic from Newfoundland to North Carolina. It is shy, nocturnal and armed to the teeth. Lobsters are found throughout the Gulf of Maine, both out at sea and near the coast. They are one of the highest value commercial species fished for in the Gulf of Maine states and provinces. Once considered a trash fish, suitable only for indentured servants and prisoners, lobsters have become a popular delicacy on many a seaside diner’s plate. Maine lobster is easily distinguishable from the â€Å"spiny† lobster commonly called rock lobster caught along the southern Atlantic Coast and the coast of California by its large heavy claws. The spiny lobster has tiny claws and is usually marketed as uncooked frozen tails. Because of its sweet, delicious flavor and tender texture, many believe that Maine lobster is the world’s most prized catch. Lobsters take about five to seven years to reach marketable size. The females produce eggs each summer when water temperatures reach 56 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. As many as 10,000 eggs are fertilized as they are extruded onto the females stomach. Here, they lay in a tight bundle until they hatch nine to ten months later. As larvae, lobsters travel great distances. The tiny larvae feed and swim vertically for thirty to fifty days in the water, carried by currents. After this stage, larvae settle down to become bottom dwelling lobsters. As they mature, they use their claws to crack open the shells of snails and mollusks and will eat either algae or remains of dead animals as well.