Wahle, Bayer Speak to Media About Young Lobster Decline

Rick Wahle, a University of Maine research professor at the Darling Marine Center, and Bob Bayer, executive director of the Lobster Institute at the University of Maine, gave interviews about the steady decline in the number of baby lobsters settling off the coast of Maine and how the decrease could put an end to recent record catches. Wahle told WVII (Channel 7) there is no clear reason for the decline in baby lobsters, but cites a change in weather patterns as a possible cause. He added having an early warning is important, and one of the key benefits of the UMaine research is to allow the industry and coastal economy to prepare for change. Bayer told CBC News it takes about eight years for baby lobsters to be big enough to harvest, meaning it’s likely the end to the United State’s unprecedented catches. “We were going along a 20 million pound harvest for many, many years. Now this last year we’re up over 120 million pounds. This probably isn’t a sustainable level,” he said.