Exploring lobster

Day one our group went out to Booth Bay, Maine.  We made a stop at a marine research center and our tour guide took us to the wet lab.  In the wet lab we got to look and touch many different crustations and fish.  There were starfish, sea cucumbers, sea horses, crabs, lobsters, oysters, and even small cat sharks.  She specifically showed us two very rare lobsters, a blue lobster and a split lobster.  All lobsters have red, yellow, and blue pigments.  The majority turn out with a even mix of the three which result in a brownish color but sometime there is a mutation in which one pigment produces more than the others. This results in different colored lobsters.

On day two the group headed to Portland, Maine.  We stopped at the Harbor Fish Market where the fishermen drop off their catch when they come in from a trip.  The fish market had all fresh fish, live crabs, and live lobsters.  This was a great business where all the produce are caught by local fisherman and sold directly.

Harbor Fish Market

Mackerel

At the Harbor Fish Market in Portland, Maine, we got to see various types of fish, lobsters and other crustaceans. Above are North Atlantic Mackerel. It was interesting to see the final stage in the process of catching and selling fish. Some of the fish were whole, while in the cases the fish was already cut into filets.

Maine's Lobster Fishing

In this photo, Jim shows the group the basics of sorting lobsters. The group spent part of the day looking at Jim's company, which he processes and ships the lobsters that he catches. We later went to his wharf and he showed us his boat and also the instruments that he uses to catch the lobsters.

This picture was taken at the Harbor Fish Market, where we spent some of the day at when we were in Portland. The fish market gave us a look at what "fresh" meant to people that live in fishing communities. The seafood products that were being sold were just recently caught and taken from the boats to the markets without many steps between. The boats that caught the fish were docked right outside of the market.  The market showed the array of different species of fish and other sea life that Maine has to offer.

Connor Dever photo blog

This is a picture of a 46' lobster boat in Harpswell, Maine. We took off very early in the morning to head for the rocky Maine coast. There are all different types of lobster boats for the different businesses.


Here is a picture of some striped bass sitting in ice at a fish market called harbor fish market in Portland, Maine. Not only does Maine base it's fishing industry solely off of lobster, but there are many other fish and seafood to be sold to boost the local economy.

Lobster Adventures

This photo is was taken at a lobster pound named Pots Harbor Lobster on the coast of Maine on our trip on Wednesday. At the lobster pound we learned about how the lobster was caught and brought into the pound and distributed out to buyers of the lobsters. Jim, the owner of the lobster pound, was sorting lobsters when we met him and had some very interesting things to say to the group about his daily job.

This picture was taken at a Marine Research Center in Booth Bay, Maine. At the research center, we learned about some more statistical things about lobsters such as pounds caught throughout the years. Also we got to go to an aquarium and see many lobsters and different types of fish, such as the blue lobster in the photo above. At this aquarium, there were many interesting types of lobster. The women who was in charge of the wet lab showed us a 20 pound lobster.

This photo was taken at the Harbor Fish Market in downtown Portland, Maine. At this fish market they sold lots of lobster and lots of fish. This picture is of some haddock about to be to sold to some customers.

Trip to Maine

One of two 20 pound lobsters

Today we went to Maine to learn more about lobsters from people first hand. These photos are both from the Department of Marine Research wet lab, in Boothbay, where there were many different types of lobsters, and other crustaceans. In the lab, we had time on our own to see all the different animals being kept. It was great to see and learn about lobsters outside of just researching online. The wet lab was one of my favorite stops because it was interactive and a great chance to take a closer look at the lobsters. 

Calico lobster

Global Warming and Lobsters

How does warm water effect a lobster?

- Lobsters are dramatically effected by temperature changes in the water. Due to the green house gases and what is known as global warming, the water in the north atlantic and around the world has become much warmer than it was 20-30 years ago. Lobsters can become mentally stressed due to the warmer water and due to the stress, their meat has become less tender. 

http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/story/2012/07/29/ns-lobster-quality-climate-change.html

http://cdn.ph.upi.com/sv/upi/UPI-30621323197148/2011/1/0f78e1186a9c65f992fbd2478f0db10c/Bad-harvest-seen-for-Canadian-lobsters.jpg 

How does the warm water effect the fisherman of the northeast?

- The warm water that has been occurring in the north Atlantic has both pros and cons. Pros being, that the warm water tends to excite lobsters to mate and also to grow larger because food is more abundant. The cons being, that the warm waters put stress on the lobster and decreases the quality of the meat that the lobsters have, and because of this, the lobsters sell for a much lower price. 

http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/story/2012/07/29/ns-lobster-quality-climate-change.html 

http://www.fijitimes.com/images/artpics/189351.jpg 

How does this effect the rest of the oceans ecosystem? 

- Lobsters are far from extinct but with the rapid increase in water temperatures, they may not be able to survive in the temperatures that are approaching at an alarming rate. The loss of a species in an ecosystem throws the entire community out of balance because populations of certain species will flourish and others will dwindle. The lobster eats mostly clams and oysters, the lobster is eaten by trigger fish. Therefore, the population of clams will increase most likely and the population of trigger fish will decrease. This process will run all of the way through the food chain because one of the numbers in the equation is gone, Lobsters. 

http://endangeredspecies.about.com/od/extinctionpastandpresent/a/Why-Does-It-Matter-If-Species-Go-Extinct.htm 

http://doyourpart.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/live-lobster.jpg 

What should people be aware of? 

- People should understand that global warming is something that we, as humans, are in complete control of. It should be known that what is happening in our atmosphere is directly affecting the ocean and that we are not only drastically changing what is happening on land but we are also changing the living conditions for organisms in the ocean. The ocean plays the largest role in the homoeostasis of earth and that if the ocean is not in a healthy state that the rest of the earth will not be either. Being eco- friendly will not only spare the delicious lobster that we love so much but it will also spare the rest of the ocean with it. 

http://geography.about.com/od/geographyintern/a/globalmarine.htm

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRN9nv4CzjJfLX9hLcfMDHD0YOHnm9HyPSJq4jg_Sz4HZGq26j-orEoqC01dmbjV9UbL8c4bQ2l_4AvZ6uijfp3Sp9TkmNwQ7hzFUyBc-_AXZRPpKN60Rm5eYzXVMptLbQTSc3xCVOac1c/s1600/grea-ocean-road.jpg