Exports of U.S. lobster to China have rocketed in the past few years, largely to satisfy the appetites of the communist country’s growing middle class, to whom a steamed, whole crustacean — flown in live from the United States — is not just a festive delicacy and a good-luck symbol but also a mark of […]
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Winter lobsters could bolster fishery during shrimp shutdown
PORTLAND (AP) — Fresh-caught Maine lobster might be a little more affordable this winter because the continued shutdown of the state’s shrimp season is keeping some lobstermen at sea deeper into the winter than usual. Many Maine lobstermen use the shrimp season as a source of income during the winter, when lobsters are both in […]
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Cooler water, sustained demand buoy lobster prices
ELLSWORTH — After two years of unusually high catches of lobster off the Maine coast, commercial landings of the iconic crustacean may be falling back a little in 2014. People in the lobster industry say that might not be such a bad thing. Lobsters may have started appearing in traps later this past summer than […]
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Maine makes emergency rule to save fishing gear
MOUNT DESERT ISLAND, Maine (AP) — Maine regulators are implementing an emergency change to fishing rules off of Mount Desert Island to prevent gear conflict between herring fishermen and lobstermen. The state Department of Marine Resources says the emergency rule creates a temporary exception to the department’s three lobster trap trawl limit. The rule went […]
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Scientists worry that warming seas could threaten lobsters
It’s already starting to happen. The culprit is the warming seas — and in particular the Gulf of Maine, whose waters are heating up faster than 99 percent of the world’s oceans, scientists say. Long-established species of commercial fish, like cod, herring and northern shrimp, are departing for colder waters. Black sea bass, blue crabs […]
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Lobster industry grateful for ‘normal’ summer
ELLSWORTH — If there is anything commercial fishermen in Maine have learned over the past several years, it is that things aren’t the way they used to be. Scallop catches are creeping back up as prices have hit an all-time high. Elver prices have come down a bit but remain historically high after shooting into […]
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Lobster season off to slow start; prices slightly up
ROCKLAND — The cold winter is still being felt in the waters off Maine, where the nation’s largest lobster fishery is off to a slow start. The season typically picks up after the bulk of the lobster population sheds its shells and reaches legal harvesting size. That occurred in late June last year and mid-June in […]
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PETA claims company dropped Linda Bean lobster because of crustacean abuse video
ROCKLAND, Maine — A nationwide company that provides concessions for major league sports arenas, hotels, parks and airports has stopped buying lobsters from Linda Bean’s Maine company. Representatives of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals claim that the decision was the result of a video the organization distributed concerning “horrific abuse caught on tape […]
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York lobstermen upset at NOAA over broken traps
YORK — Some southern Maine lobstermen are upset that a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration research vessel is inadvertently cutting their fishing lines and traps. NOAA’s ship is working off the York coast to map the depths for new nautical charts. Mike Sinclair, president of the York Lobstermen’s Association, told the paper he estimates NOAA […]
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Maine considers new lobster processing rule
PORTLAND — The Maine Department of Marine Resources is considering a change that would allow licensed lobster processors to process lobster from the shell without holding a separate lobster meat permit. The agency said in a statement that the change would mean lobster processor license holders would not have to purchase the $159 annual lobster […]