The baby lobsters settle at the bottom of the ocean, take shelter, and grow.
University of Maine scientist Rick Wahle, who has documented baby lobster density for decades, said a trend of below average settlement numbers in the Gulf of Maine extended into 2021.
Lobster catch has cratered off of southern New England locations such as Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts, and is growing off of places like Newfoundland, Wahle said.
Maine fishermen have brought more than 100 million pounds of lobsters to the docks in ten of the last 11 years after never topping that figure previously.
But the fishery is dependent on young lobsters reaching maturity, and Wahle’s studies have shown a steady decline of baby lobsters at New England sample sites over the last several years.
The trend of decline in the Gulf of Maine is happening as the body of water is heating up faster than the vast majority of the world’s oceans.
The lobster industry is also facing challenges such as new rules designed to protect rare whales and rising costs of necessities such as bait and fuel.