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Baby lobster numbers spell trouble for shellfish population

Baby lobster numbers spell trouble for shellfish population | iNFOnews.ca
FILE - In this May 9, 2016 file photo, a marine biologist holds a young lobster on Friendship Long Island, Maine. Data released for 2018 show an uptick of baby lobsters off some parts of Canada while they are dwindling off the New England coast. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)

PORTLAND, Maine – Baby lobsters are continuing to appear in high numbers off some parts of Canada while dwindling off New England, raising questions about what the valuable shellfish’s population will look like in several years.

University of Maine scientist Rick Wahle has documented trends in baby lobster density for years, and released new data for 2018 this month. Wahle says his new data reinforce recent trends about lobsters that show major upticks off sites in Atlantic Canada, such as areas in Nova Scotia.

Meanwhile, the Gulf of Maine reported below average numbers from Bar Harbor to Cape Cod.

New England’s commercial harvest of lobster has been strong in recent years, but it’s dependent on young lobsters growing to maturity. Some sites, such as those off Rhode Island, show few baby lobsters at all.

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