Steneck quoted in Press Herald editorial on warming Atlantic, lobster industry
Robert Steneck, a marine biologist at the University of Maine’s School of Marine Sciences, was quoted in the Portland Press Herald editorial, “Warming Atlantic bodes poorly for lobster industry.” Warming water temperatures have for decades been the primary factor in pushing the lobster population farther north, according to the article. Since 2004, the Gulf of Maine has been warming faster than anywhere on Earth, the editorial states. “We’re definitely seeing this geographic shift, and it’s in keeping with the warming of the Gulf,” Steneck said. “Unless something changes in terms of ocean temperature trends, the Gulf of Maine will not likely remain a great place for high lobster abundance. How long this takes to play out, whether it’s decades or centuries, nobody knows.”