The Maine lobster has provided a decent income and standard of living for my home community for years and years. Recently, however, the lobster industry has boomed and has been a very lucrative business for many local fishermen. Although the price has fallen to a meager $2.25 a pound and the weather has made this fall less than average, the lobster industry in the past decade has grown past any expected predictions. Many fishermen, biologists, and others with a degree of input have at the least, attempted to better understand this recent phenomena. Some explanations of this mystery range from the depletion of cod (a natural predator of the lobster), better management of the industry ranging from larger escape vents to the implementation of the v-notch on spawning females, to the controlled cage where the used bait, herring or other fish, maintains a well fed population. In addition to these previous examples, I will outline and evaluate some other suggestions or explanations. The basis for this term paper reflects two main priorities for myself. The first priority is that this ties directly into Maine geography in terms of a primary industry and hu

The oversize law today is 5 inches. All lobsters over this size are to be immediately returned to the ocean floor. This law was created in the late 1930's and is intended to protect the more sexually mature lobsters. As stated in the material, "one protected oversize female can produce upwards of 100,000 eggs while a smaller female might produce 10,000 eggs" (Merrill). By protecting this valuable resource, the industry can at least feel that the chances of spawning more lobsters and that more juvenile lobsters have a chance to survive in the Atlantic Ocean.

man-environment interaction. The second priority is that this industry has been a mainstay in my life to which I owe much gratitude.

Lobsterman's Perspective", MPBC.org, 2000.

Along with teaching, lobstering is very much a part of my life. I look forward to the summers where I can work hard and enjoy nature. In addition to loving my life and the work I do, I have to be thankful for the measures taken to preserve this industry. Paper companies have to maintain their forests, potato farmers must take care of their land, and yes, we have to take care of our industry and hope that the industry takes care of the 7,000 plus lobstermen, including myself.

Another important facet of the increased lobster production would have to be the legal issues surrounding draggers and selling lobsters. A boat maintained with a drag can cover broad areas of bottom, particularly mud, and collect the majority of lobsters harboring there. In terms of numbers, draggers "have thrown back many millions of pounds of lobsters that fishermen would traditionally keep" (Merrill). A local fisherman from Beals stated "It would be like blueberry raking with a harvester, you'd get tons I tell ya" ().

The unofficial feeding program, as I call it, basically amounts to the large amounts of "old" bait, or fish, that

Some common words found in the essay are:
Ocean V-notching, Gulf Maine, Introduction Maine, Personal Interview, Information Leaflet, ground fish, lobster industry, Lobster Fishery, lobsters *, egg-bearing females, escape vents, Perspective MPBCorg, Lobster Landings, v-notching egg-bearing females, oct 2001, v-notching egg-bearing, personal interview, unofficial feeding, local fishermen, unofficial feeding program,
Approximate Word count = 1259
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)