Research institute forecasts early lobster season start
The Gulf of Maine Research Institute’s updated lobster season forecast is projecting that the 2016 Maine lobster season will be kicking off earlier than most years, due in large part to rising sea water temperatures in the Gulf of Maine.
The research institute’s most recent forecast said there’s a 47% chance of an “extremely early” start to the season, which was defined as beginning as early as mid-June. The typical date for the start of lobster season in Maine is after July 4, which GMRI said has a 0% likelihood of being the start of the season.
“July 4 is typically considered to be a normal start date for the lobster fishery in Maine,” Andrew Pershing, chief scientific officer of GMRI, said in a statement. “If the timing is off by just a few weeks, it can have a major impact throughout the supply chain.”
As the waters in the Gulf of Maine warm, the crustaceans move from the deep water habitat they occupy during the winter into shallow inland waters where the majority of lobstermen set their traps. Warming waters also lead to lobsters molting their shells, becoming more active in their search for food and increasing the likelihood of being trapped.
The warming water temperatures of the season are similar to those experienced four years ago, when the season also started extremely early, according to GMRI.
“Participants in the fishery and supply chain have learned from the 2012 experience and devised a number of strategies to cope with an early start,” Katherine Mills, a GMRI associate research scientist, said in a statement. “The goal of our forecast is to give people in the industry advanced warning so they can plan ahead for what is shaping up to be a very early season.”
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