By Gillian Graham

Staff Writer

For many, a trip to Maine isn’t complete without a lobster dinner. But have you ever wondered how that lobster got from the ocean floor to your dinner plate?

It all boils down to a bucket of fish and lobstermen who haul trap after trap to catch thousands of pounds of lobster each year.

Though often depicted as red – even when alive – lobsters are invertebrates that come in a wide variety of colors, from mottled brown and orange to blue. Red pigment in the carapace, or body, becomes more prominent once the lobster is cooked. True blue lobsters are rare, as are albino lobsters that do not turn red when cooked because they lack pigment in their shells.

Lobsters live on the rocky, sandy or muddy ocean floor, hiding in crevices or under rocks and seaweed. They are most active at night when they scavenge for fish, crabs, mussels, sea urchins, worms and other live food. 

Lobstermen use one-way traps baited with dead fish – usually mackerel, herring or flounder – to catch lobsters. The traps are designed to prevent commercial-sized lobsters from escaping and generally are in the water for at least 24 hours before lobsters are pulled and banded. Traps are marked with color-coded buoys so fisherman can recognize them easily. 

Most lobstermen in Maine fish depending on the weather, generally from late spring to late fall or early winter, according to Ada Goff, an owner/manager of Pool Lobster Co. at F.O. Goldthwaite’s in Biddeford Pool. She said losing traps during winter storms is a huge financial loss, not to mention the chilly temperatures lobstermen encounter on the water.

To protect the species, lobster harvesting in Maine is regulated in a number of ways, including what size lobsters can be when removed from the ocean. The minimum size is about a pound; “chick” lobsters weigh 1 to 1 1/8 pounds. The maximum lobster size is 4 to 4.5 pounds and is determined by the length of the carapace, according to Goff. Harvesting egg-bearing lobsters is prohibited and they must be notched by fishermen to indicate they are fertile and need to stay in the ocean.

Female lobsters have larger tails to accommodate the thousands of eggs they carry at one time, Goff said. The “black and gooey” eggs are carried on the underside of the tail, held in place by a glue-like substance the lobster secretes, she said. Lobster eggs have a very low survival rate.

Goff said most lobstermen have an arrangement with a wholesale company to sell their daily catch straight from the docks. Once the wholesaler has the lobsters, they are sorted by size and quality. Culls, or lobsters missing a claw, are removed from holding tanks and often used for lobster rolls, she said. Maine lobsters are sold in fish markets, grocery stores and restaurants across the state and country.

Goff said many people ask about the difference between hard and soft shell lobsters. Hard, or “old shell,” lobsters tend to be a little more tough and dry because they have not recently shed their shells. Goff said she finds soft, or new, shell lobsters are sweeter and not as tough, though they contain more water.  

One of Goff’s favorite aspects of her job is sharing her lobster knowledge with children. She frequently shows them a live lobster, explains the difference between males and females and divulges interesting facts. Among the more interesting tidbits: lobsters are known to cannibalize when in captivity and eat their shells after shedding. 

As for the shedding, Goff said that is one of the most interesting things she has been able to watch. Lobsters grow a shell inside their old shell. When it is ready, a seam down the lobster’s carapace turns spongy and the new shell is pushed through.

“When they shed it is a truly extraordinary event to watch,” Goff said. “It’s amazing.”

Staff Writer Gillian Graham can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 213.