Maine’s Baby Lobster Pop Declining

A new survey of 11 Gulf of Maine locations from the University of Maine shows that the population of young lobsters has significantly decreased. The number now stands at less than half of what it was in 2007, which could foreshadow a decline in the state’s overall lobster industry. Maine hauled more than 350 million pounds of lobsters over the last year, a record amount for the state, but this is “our first indicator that things might be changing in the future,” said Carl Wilson, the state’s lobster biologist. Officials say a number of factors could be responsible for the decrease in young lobsters, including pollution, warmer temperatures, and insufficient food. Around 85 percent of the nation’s lobster catch comes from Maine.