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Lobster, American
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©B. Guild/ Charting Nature, www.chartingnature.com
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The American lobster is not only one of the most popular seafoods in the U.S., but it also comprises one of the most valuable fisheries, generating dockside revenues of $300 million yearly. This combination of value and popularity is a cause for concern regarding the sustainability of the fishery.
American lobster is a bottom-dwelling marine crustacean that is distributed widely over the continental shelf from the mid-Atlantic to Labrador. It takes five to eight years for American lobster to reach sexual maturity and it can live almost 100 years. In both Canada and the U.S., American lobster is caught in traps. A smaller quantity is caught as bycatch by trawlers.
Nearly all American lobsters are caught shortly after they mature. Since the species grows slowly and matures late, it may be quite vulnerable to unfavorable environmental conditions and overfishing. Catches have been at record highs recently, even though the fishery is considered overfished, with overfishing occurring. In 2004, the American lobster catch in the U.S. was in excess of 34,000 MT (75 million pounds), with the vast majority landed in Maine.CONSERVATION NOTES
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) in the U.S. and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) in Canada regulate the fisheries for American lobster. A number of regulatory safeguards are in place to maintain sustainability of the lobster fishery in the U.S. and Canada, including catch limitations on size (carapace length) and sex (“berried” females with extruded eggs must be returned), trap design requirements (e.g., escape ports), and limits on the number of traps used in the fishery.
Concerns about the long-term sustainability of the resource remain. Recently, a majority of landed lobster had barely reached maturity with lobsters generally weighing just over one pound. In addition, it appears that larger male lobsters are becoming scarce. And, of serious concern is a disease that has decimated lobster numbers off Long Island and appears to be moving northward.
Bycatch is another concern of the lobster fishery. While the pots themselves are highly selective, entanglement in gear lines is a cause of mortality for both humpback whales and endangered North Atlantic right whales. The industry is actively engaged with the conservation community and is currently taking steps to address this issue.
IN SEASON
- U.S.: year-round, peaking in the summer and early fall
- Canada: landings peak in May and June and again in December
PRODUCT FORM
FRESH:
- Live
FROZEN:
- Whole cooked
- Raw tails
- Cooked meat
- Cooked claws
BUYING TIPS
- If you’re looking for a deal, the best time to buy is in May, when the Canadian Gulf of St. Lawrence season opens and summer demand has not yet started. After Labor Day is also good because catches in Maine are still decent, and demand from the summer coastal resorts drops off dramatically.
- If you’re buying lobsters from Maine in the early summer, be prepared to encounter soft-shell lobsters (also known as shedders), which can have poor meat fill.
ASSOCIATIONS
Maine Lobster Promotion Council
382 Harlow Street, Bangor, ME 04401, Phone: 207–947–2966, Fax: 207–947–3191,Web Site: www.LobsterFromMaine.com, Email: info@LobsterFromMaine.com, Kristen Millar, Executive Director • A state agency, the Maine Lobster Promotion Council is responsible for market development of Maine lobster through promotional and educational activities. The Council is involved in a variety of training programs for foodservice and retail, including proper handling, preparation, and serving of lobster.
© 2006 Seafood Choices Alliance