Reply #72: The size limits are all about population management.

[Gormy Cuss]

Maine does regulate the catch much more severely than other nearby states. It's probably why the stock of lobsters in the Gulf of Maine is considered stable, whereas the lobstering grounds in some other parts of the North Atlantic are in decline. Most of the lobstering occurs within areas that are under state jurisdiction --- if the state doesn't limit the catch, it's probably overfished. The Stellwagen Bank (off Massachusetts)was one of the richest lobster areas and it's now in severe decline This uneven management of lobstering is why homarus Americanus is considered overfished.

Maine not only limits size of the lobsters but the times and days when it's legal to pull traps and the number of traps that can be used under one license. There's a long list of regulations and it gets longer every year. I hear my brother, a lobsterman by trade, grouse about it every time I see him.

Maine limits the catch to non-egg bearing lobsters between 3 1/4 and 5 inches long from eye socket to the tail join. The size minimum is intended to allow young males a chance to breed before they are caught. When breeding females are caught, the tail fin is notched with a V and the lobster is tossed back into the ocean. If a V-notched female is caught again, it's tossed back even if there is no current egg sac.

The size maximum is a nod to retain some balance in the population by recognizing the survivors that have been contributing to the gene pool for a long time and are the backbone of the population. Young females may produce only a few thousand eggs, but the large older females are known to produce up to 100,000 in one cycle. Old lobsters are huge, weighing at 20 to 25 pounds. There have been lobsters hauled in that were over 40 lbs.

As to taste, large lobsters are allegedly good eating but in Maine people prefer the smallish ones for eating plain, and the large ones for casseroles and other dishes where the meat will be cooked with other ingredients.

It is true that the small holding tanks such as those in supermarkets are not natural environments for the lobsters and stress them. Lobsters live in close proximity to each other but don't really socialize. They like to spend most of their time snug in small spaces. You bought lobsters at the waterfront in a lobstering area. I'd bet that the time between being pulled out of the ocean and being purchased was less than a week, and very likely less than three days. On a summer weekday it's typical that the lobsters on sale were hauled the day before.

BTW, homarus Americanus can be sold as Maine lobster even if it came from waters outside of the state. At least when you buy one in Portland you know that you're getting real Maine lobsters.