Everything in this post is from memory, so I can’t attribute it to any particular source or vouch for its truth. Hmmn, I probably shouldn’t admit that.
The Maine lobster fishery is thriving at least in part because it is managed, both officially and unofficially. Licenses are granted by the state and are available only to residents of Maine. But don’t think you can move to Maine and fish. There are many stories of people who have tried — to little avail. This is part of the unofficial management. The members of the various fishing communities consider the fishing to belong to the local folks. A fisherman from one island or town is only “authorized” to fish in the area controlled by that island or town. A fisherman from away (in this case, any place other than that particular Maine fishing community) is not welcome to fish at all.
If you (a person from outside Maine) move to Maine, and purchase a boat, a license to fish, and a bunch of lobster traps, you might think you would be ready to start hauling in lobster and money. You would be mistaken. The lore is that the first time an outsider sets out lobster pots, they will be found politely stacked on the dock near where his or her boat is moored. The second time, the lines will be cut. Imagine how difficult it is to haul in lobster traps that don’t have buoys attached.
Although the right to fish belongs to the local people, it can be provisionally acquired through marriage. If you (a person from outside Maine) marry a local resident, you will be able to fish. But if you get divorced, you will lose the right to fish, even if you have lived and fished locally for decades. At least one incident in the past ten years or so resulted in gunfire when the divorced, now formerly authorized, fisherman tried to continue fishing. He eventually thought better of it.
As noted in the prior post, fishermen are limited to 800 traps. That, along with local restrictions, helps minimize the risk of local over-fishing. Other measures are taken to foster an ample supply of lobsters. Any lobster with eggs, which are carried on the underside of a breeding female, has a notch cut in her tail. The notch indicates to any fisherman who subsequently catches the same lobster, that she is a breeding female and should be returned to the sea.
Similarly, all large lobsters (roughly three pounds and up) are required to be returned to the sea, whether they are male or female, because reproductive capacity is exponentially related to size. I don’t remember the exact relationship, but a two-pound lobster does not produce twice as many eggs as a one-pound lobster, it produces 10 or 20 times as many. Large lobsters can have as many as 100,000 eggs.
People often ask: what do lobsters eat. The old answer was: anything, the new answer is: lobster bait. A couple of summers ago, a local told me that the ocean floor along the Maine coast has been transformed into (essentially) a lobster farm.
It is estimated that any random lobster that is large enough to be eaten, has been caught and released approximately 1000 times. After enjoying hundreds of tasty, free, and easy to find meals of herring or some such, the lobster suddenly finds itself on the wrong end of a delicious meal. Talk about a Black Swan event for the lobster.
All of this is timely for me because I am about to leave for vacation and plan to eat lobster while in Maine. And let’s face it, you like lobster too. If you ever plan to cook your own, drop me a line and I’ll send you a recipe. As with most things I cook, the recipe starts with: boil water.
Wonder if Beals Lobster Pier feeds their lobsters whoopie pies or something to make them so sweet..??
I like knowing that your family went to Beal’s when you were a child and now we go there with our children. A wonderful tradition.