Harry Krause wrote:
Reginald P. Smithers III wrote:
Harry Krause wrote:

As a matter of absolute fact, aquaculture of lobsters in Maine and
elsewhere is a substantial and growing business. It's not a
year-round business in Maine, but there is no question that there are
lobster pens and pounds that operate similarly to cattle feedlots,
and it wouldn't surprise me to learn that someone somewhere is
"growing" lobsters from hatchlings to fingerlings to whatever the
"correct" terminology is for commerical exploitation.


This has been an interesting thread, until I read your link to
Riverview Lobster Pound I had no idea they used holding pens for lobsters
to "buy low and sell high", but since Lobsters must be kept alive, it
really does make sense. As they said on your link:

Riverview Lobster Pound was built in 1888 by Freeman Grover.
The design uses the tide to clean and refresh the holding area.
The area of this pound is two acres of surface and can accommodate
over 50,000 pounds of lobsters comfortably. The tidal lobster pound
works like a cattle feedlot. Buy low and sell high !!! In the past
120 years it has worked a few times

But this is much different than most lobsters in Maine are grown in
holding pens. They are held in the holding pens waiting for market
prices to rise. So you can understand why I was amazed when you
described your 3 week trip working with lobstermen illegally
harversting lobsters.

"My last trip to Maine, where I spent three weeks on various islands
and in the company of lobstermen. Most of them grow their lobsters
in pens, check on them daily, and harvest them when they reach legal
size or larger."

What you were describing illegal harvesting of lobsters, and I could
not believe that most of the lobsters from Maine are harvested illegally.
The lobster can not be harversted from the sea unless they are legal
size. As soon as the traps are raised, any lobsters that are not
market size are throw back into the water. The logic in this, is your
want the lobsters to reproduce where they live, not in a holding pen
or pound. Lobsters are very territorial and become cannibalistic when
held in a pen or pound, which is why they have bands on their claws.
Lobstermen can not catch them, and then place them in the pen or pound
waiting for them to become legal size.

Now you might have spent 3 weeks with lobstermen who grew illegal
caught lobsters in pens before sending them to market, but I just
didn't think it could represent the majority of Maine Lobsters sold in
the US.

I tried to find some info on agri-farming of lobsters in the US but I
too could not find any info.




Yes, Reggie, I can read web pages, too. Report back when you actually
know something first hand, eh? And have a real name.

Until then...hasta.

I think we all have learned more than we knew about Lobsters before this
thread started, isn't that what the NG is all about, learning something
new, sharing that info. If you had asked any of the Lobster men or even
the locals about the Lobster Pounds they would have told you they were
holding pens, not "growing pens". Sometimes you learn much more by
asking questions and listening. I had a college professor tell me you
never learn anything when you are talking. His point was to get us to
learn how to ask probing questions and then shut up. It is amazing how
much you can learn when you are not talking.