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.