To the editor:
… I’m writing to tell you how much I enjoyed reading the newest book – Lobsters Great and Small [Island Institute and DownEast Books, 2002]. It is a masterful job of presenting often dry scientific information in an engaging story of collaboration and ecosystem management. I feel that it brings me pretty well up to date on current scientific knowledge and the lobstering industry …
It occurred to me in reading the lobster book that another chapter is needed to complete the story. This would be a chapter that integrates harvesting statistics and activities with the biology of the lobster population. Are the lobster management zones consistent with the areas of bio-productivity and other significant ecosystem factors, or are they administrative districts that seem to cut across a variety of eco-zones, and therefore are not equal in their effects on lobster populations? Where are the lobstering fleets located and are they distributed consistent with lobster populations? Certainly the predominant economic influence on the lobster industry is the size and location of the market for the product. Which Maine (and Canadian) communities are benefiting from the industry, and how might they fare as productivity and markets change over time? Knowing this how do decide where and when to make public investments in waterfront and port facilities? Some possible maps would be the geographic distribution of lobster landings and pound facilities, boat moorings, and workers’ residences.
Please consider these as some thoughts that came up while reading the book.
Jim Connors
Maine State Planning Office
Augusta