Lobster Biologists on Lobster
by Sandra Dinsmore
Unloading lobster crates from the Jacob Pike, a J.J. Lobster buy station in Rockland, Maine. The Jacob Pike carries lobster from the Penobscot Bay islands to Rockland. A mix of variables has made the lobster catch larger and earlier, but Maine DMR marine biologist Carl Wilson has predicted the total catch for the season will likely be similar to 2011– a record breaking 104 million pounds. ©Photo by Sam Murfitt
In response to people using the word crisis to describe July’s enormous catches and ever-lowering boat prices, Maine’s lobster biologist, Carl Wilson, said by year’s end he thinks this year’s numbers won’t be so much more than last year’s in terms of percentage. He had previously written, “Since 1950 there have been six years where the annual landings have increased by 20% over the previous year. The four largest increases occurred in 1994, 1997, 2002 and 2004, all exceeding a 30% increase.” Wilson asked why, although the huge catches of 2002 and 2004 had been absorbed without problems, this year’s huge catch, “Is a source for panic?”
