{"id":42485,"date":"2024-10-11t14:31:48","date_gmt":"2024-10-11t14:31:48","guid":{"rendered":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/?p=42485"},"modified":"2024-11-15t20:42:21","modified_gmt":"2024-11-15t20:42:21","slug":"lobsters-warming-gulf-maine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/story\/lobsters-warming-gulf-maine\/","title":{"rendered":"cutting through the fog: the future of lobsters in the warming gulf of maine"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

in maine, lobster is more than a meal. it is the lifeblood of the state\u2019s coastal economy, accounting for tens of thousands of jobs and $464 million in revenue<\/a> in 2023. yet, climate change threatens the viability of lobster populations in these productive waters. in particular, changing ocean currents<\/a> are making the gulf of maine warm three times faster than the global average, or faster than 99% of the ocean.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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from the classroom to the carnival, maine lobster is both a cultural icon and economic engine. (paul leoni)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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rapid ocean warming poses existential challenges to maine\u2019s largest commercial fishery. stress<\/a> induced by rising temperatures can make lobsters more susceptible to shell disease, compromising their ability to reproduce successfully. in warmer waters, tiny copepods eaten by larval lobsters are growing smaller and shifting their seasonal migration patterns. this results in less nutritious food <\/a>for baby lobsters, greater mismatch<\/a> between lobster larvae release and food availability, and fewer juveniles surviving into adulthood. in the wake of these changes, experts predict that lobsters will increasingly seek refuge in colder, deeper waters and migrate northward toward canada. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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transcript:<\/strong> generally, we are seeing a pattern of lobster shifting further into the northeast region of the gulf of maine into cooler, deeper waters during certain life stages. but, that doesn’t necessarily imply that they’ve all migrated there or moved or marched up from southern new england. it will be more about redistribution of where lobsters are more available, which relates to how readily some people compared to others can capitalize on those different changes. and perhaps abundances returning to early or mid-2000s landing levels rather than staying at that peak that we have known in more recent years.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

kat maltby, ph.d., postdoctoral research associate in the integrated systems ecology lab at the gulf of maine research institute (gmri).<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

notably, ocean warming has supported a boom in maine\u2019s lobster industry and a bust in southern new england. in the gulf of maine, temperatures have become optimal for lobster reproduction and species range shifts have contributed to record commercial catch. yet, experts predict that rapid warming will only exacerbate the volatility<\/a> of maine\u2019s lobster industry, posing novel challenges to fishers and business owners to adapt alongside the shifting crustaceans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

on the frontlines: lobster fishers<\/h2>\n\n\n
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for lobster fishers in the gulf of maine, ocean warming is one of many challenges in an increasingly competitive and costly industry. (paul leoni)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

ivan bly started lobstering in midcoast maine when he was young. today, he hauls commercial traps from the iris irene, a boat named after his grandmother, irene, and 12-year-old daughter, iris. alongside her father, iris has been lobstering her entire life. \u201cwe\u2019ve had her out here before she remembered. we used to put her in a lobster crate,\u201d bly said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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lobstering is an intergenerational practice in maine, with fishing families forming the backbone of its coastal economy. (paul leoni)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

bly lobsters out of tenants harbor, where his state commercial fishing license allows him 800 traps within an established fishing zone<\/a>. state and federal licenses are coveted and scarce in maine, requiring extensive apprenticeship, extended processing times, and expensive permitting costs. those born into the lobster industry are entering increasingly precarious waters, where rigid rules and regulations preoccupy fishers and lack adaptive measures for climate impacts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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on a cloudy midcoast afternoon, ivan bly helps daughter iris maintain and monitor her traps. (paul leoni)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

bly recognizes ocean warming and its contribution to maine\u2019s lobster boom. he also knows the challenges and costs of fishing in deeper waters. \u201cwhen you go further out, it costs more money, and it\u2019s a bigger risk. you need bigger rope, heavier, bigger traps,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

yet, faced with the annual volatility of a dynamic industry, his anxieties are resigned to the short-term: \u201ci think we\u2019ll kill the industry with chemicals and nonsense before that. warming is the least of my concerns. when the water warms up that much, i\u2019ll be long gone.\u201d for bly, \u201cnonsense\u201d includes the environmental and economic costs of chemical pollution, offshore wind development, and inconsistent rope and trap regulations for north atlantic right whale protection.<\/p>\n\n\n

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as a fisherman who depends on a healthy ocean yet bears the costs of regulation, bly\u2019s concerns for the future are focused on fair and collaborative fishery management: \u201cyou have to regulate us. if you didn\u2019t regulate us, there wouldn\u2019t be anything left. but it has to be reasonable.\u201d (paul leoni)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

contributing to bly\u2019s focus on pollution and regulation is the rigid territoriality built into the culture and permitting of the lobster industry. while a commercial fisher can move their traps within a permitted zone, they risk retaliation and violence from encroaching on another fisher\u2019s territory. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

according to bly, \u201cyou\u2019d be welcomed with shotguns and knife blades\u201d if you messed with another\u2019s traps. notably, a state license prohibits fishing in federal waters further offshore and can rarely be transferred to a different zone within state waters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

in this rigid framework, fishers like bly cannot follow lobsters into northern, deeper waters beyond where their permit allows. \u201cthe fishing grounds do move. different areas have had great fishing and hopefully, we get our turn. but, you gotta fish where you live,\u201d bly said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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on whether she wants to become a lobster fisher herself, iris says \u201cmaybe.\u201d like her father, she recognizes the changing seas, laws, and costs that are making lobstering increasingly hard. (paul leoni)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

from sea to table: lobster shacks<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

in maine\u2019s coastal economy, changes in the water directly affect livelihoods on land. in bar harbor, patti staples is the owner and manager of the happy clam shack, where hand-picked meat is enjoyed by consumers in iconic lobster rolls. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

since 2015, staples has operated a sea-to-table business that values quality over quantity. to do so, she buys catch directly from local fishers and picks the lobster meat in-shack each morning. having experienced increased costs, decreased tourism, and supply chain shortages during the pandemic, staples sees ocean warming as another existential threat to her business and local suppliers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cif they don\u2019t have their product, we don\u2019t have their product, and the families don\u2019t have their product. if the gulf doesn\u2019t stop warming up, they\u2019re going to crawl into canada,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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the happy clam shack sources its lobster directly from local fishers, tying the businesses\u2019 fate to the adaptive capacity of its suppliers. (paul leoni)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

profit and catch in the lobster industry fluctuate with consumer demand and market price. for instance, in 2023, maine experienced its lowest lobster haul in 15 years<\/a>, as inflated fuel and bait costs disincentivized fishers to get on the water. yet, the second-highest price ever recorded ($4.95 per pound) contributed to a noticeable rebound from lower profits in 2022. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ocean warming will only exacerbate these unpredictable boom and bust cycles. as warming decreases regional productivity and increases operational costs, per-pound prices will reflect the increased effort and resources needed for fishing in deeper waters. as a result, staples anticipates higher costs for herself and her customers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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transcript:<\/strong> unfortunately, we will see the prices go up. we won’t see as many businesses like our lobster pound being able to sustain if we don’t have a product. if it gets too costly, a lot of people \u2014 the families we want here to enjoy our lobster \u2014 won’t be able to afford it. and if our fisherman aren’t catching their product and they are paying all this money for their sternmen, their gas, their bait, how are they going to be able to sustain also? it’s scary. we don’t want to see our product leave.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

patti staples, owner and manager of happy clam shack<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n

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in the wake of ocean warming, the happy clam shack\u2019s menu might change due to regional shifts in coastal productivity and per-pound lobster prices. (paul leoni)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

what\u2019s next for maine\u2019s warming waters and its lobsters?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
a group of fishers set traps in midcoast maine, where shifting catch and soaring cost are challenging the industry\u2019s resilience. (paul leoni)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

since ocean warming intersects with the economic and regulatory challenges facing fishers like bly and business owners like staples, climate adaptation is an opportunity to build a more resilient, productive, and profitable industry. at the gulf of maine research institute (gmri), kat maltby, ph.d., studies the social resilience of imperiled fisheries to inform adaptive planning in maine\u2019s lobster industry. to her, adapting to warming waters requires a holistic management approach in collaboration with industry, government, and the scientific community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n