Global warming has not been the best for lobster. The warm
water temperatures are killing off lobsters. In 1997, lobstermen south of Cape
Cod caught more than twenty million pounds, but in 2009, they came in with less
than five million pounds. Many factors go into this drop, but just a few
degrees in the temperature of the water change the population. When the
environment changes so much, the current species move out because they cannot
tolerate the new climate. New species that are more adapted to live in the new
conditions move in. With the ocean, even small increments leave big effects for
sea creatures, especially the cold-water lobster.
In the Gulf of Maine, an environment of biodiversity,
disease and the effects of global warming can be dangerous because they can
strike the whole ecosystem.
When the water is warmer even just by two to four degrees,
the abundant populations of various fish species swim toward the warmer water.
This begins to create a new ecosystem, potentially making lobsters more
vulnerable to disease and also stressed by new predators.
Many lobsters had moved into the deeper, cooler waters of
Vineyard Sound because of the intolerable heat on the bay where they were before.
Lobster development is dependent on water temperature. They grow faster and
sexually mature faster sooner in warm water. Their ideal temperature is between
53 and 64 degrees, and can detect a change of less than two degree. Lobster avoid
temperatures over 66 degrees. The abundance of lobsters is good for the buyers,
but not for the lobstermen and their crews. While they have come in with large
hauls, the wholesale prices have become too low to pay for the equipment and
fuel prices for each trip.
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| Lobster with shell disease |
There is a shell disease, which caused major damage to the
lobster fishery in Rhode Island. This disease causes multiple problems
affecting the lobsters. One is simply unappealing black spots on its shell.
These spots can look like spots on a Dalmatian, but also can look like acid or
cigarette burns. Another, more serious, problem is when the shell fuses to the
inner membranes of the crustacean. This is a problem because it makes it
impossible for the lobster to molt. Studies suggest chemical compounds that are
by-products of industrial sources, such as detergents, paints, and plastics,
are a cause of the disease.
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