Gary's Seafood Specialties

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Maine Lobsters

Homarus americanus

Maine lobsters are cold water lobster; however they are closely related to other lobsters from around the world, even the Florida Spiny Lobster and the Crawfish.

This species of lobster has a range that extends as far south as Virginia; however, Maine is hands down the number one Lobster state in the country. Even much of the Canadian lobster that is transported through Maine on the way to the southern states is marketed as Maine Lobster.

This is another creature of the sea with an interesting background. Until the early 1800’s, lobsters were so plentiful in New England, that they were just caught be people going out into the water and picking them up by hand. They were considered a “peasant food” back in those days, and fed to prisoners, servants, etc. Unconfirmed reports tell of lobsters that were between 5-6 feet long back in those days. In the 1820’s, “Smackmen,” named after their boats that had saltwater holding tanks for keeping lobsters alive while they were transported to cities like Boston and New York City began to appear. It wasn’t until the 1850’s when lobstermen began to use traps to catch lobsters.

In 1875, the first Lobster Pounds started to emerge. Lobster pounds are cages attached to the docks, where Lobsters could be kept alive until the price would go up, and then lobstermen would empty the pounds, making additional money.

In 1836, canned lobster became a huge industry. The Burnham and Morril Company was one of the largest canneries. Today, they mostly produce baked beans. At one point in time, canned lobster meat was actually worth more money than live lobsters.

As roads, and automobiles improved, by the 1930’s, most Lobsters were shipped over land, signaling the end to the Smackmen. By World War II, lobster was considered a delicacy, and has stayed that way ever since. Their popularity has been largely associated with the American economy.

Lobsters are very difficult to raise in captivity for a number of different reasons. The most important factor is that although the Lobster fetches a high price, raising them is not a profitable venture, at least to this point in time. Maine currently does however have a “seed program” in place where 100,000 larval lobsters are released into the wild each year. The rate that a lobster will grow is dependant on the temperature of the water. It takes a male lobster (which grows more quickly than a female) anywhere from 1-5 years to reach the legal size (about 1 ¼ #).

The Lobsters brain is about the size of a grasshopper’s. Scientists believe that lobsters don’t feel pain. Lobsters are very cannibalistic, especially when confined to a small area with other lobsters. It is for this reason that lobster claws are banded.

Since the skeleton of the lobster is on the outside of the body, the lobster must go through a process called “molting,” where they lose their old shell, and grow a new one. Prior to molting, the lobster becomes smaller inside of its shell. Eventually it breaks through the shell, and actually eats its old shell to get the nutrients that it needs to make the new shell hard. It takes about a week for a new shell to harden. When a lobster molts, it increases in size by about 15%, and gains 40-50% more weight. During the first 5 years of life, a lobster will molt about 25 times. As lobsters become older, they may only molt every couple of years. During this time, the lobster is very vulnerable.

One of the key features on the Maine Lobsters are its two large claws. It uses them to crush the shells of prey including crabs, clams, mussels, worms, flounder and sea urchins. Lobsters hunt at night, sometimes covering up to a mile, and hunt for up to 100 different species of food. Lobsters have the reputation for being bottom feeders, and eating garbage, but this really isn’t completely true. Interestingly enough, the biggest predator of the lobster is the Cod. Scientists believe that one reason lobster populations are flourishing because of the over fishing of Cod. Another possible reason is actually due to global warming, as the waters of Maine have become much warmer through the years.

The largest documented lobster ever caught was in 1977, when a 3-4’ long Lobster weighing 44#, 6 oz. was caught. The lobster was believed to be well over 100 years old.

The lobstermen of Maine form a unique culture of their own. In 1989, there were 6300 lobstermen in the state of Maine that harvested 10,600 metric tons of Lobster. To become a lobsterman, you must first go through an apprenticeship program, starting at an early age. Basically, you “earn” your right to become a lobsterman, and earn your fishing area. There are many factors that enter into this hierarchy, including family heritage. Outsiders are not welcomed into this industry.

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