Lobster Trading and Marine Life of Coastal Maine

Acadia National Park and Bar Harbor are quintessentially Maine to their core! These coastal gems have some of the richest histories in the state and are blessed with an abundance of nature's bounty. Of course, one particular crustacean reigns above all; lobster. There is a reason that no matter where you go or how you cook it, lobsters will always be associated with the state of Maine. About half of the catch of cold-water lobsters in North America is hauled here, as Maine’s rocky coastline provides an ideal habitat for lobster to flourish. Mainers have been trapping lobster since the 1700s, and the patience and fortitude it requires has become woven into the state’s fabric for as long as anyone can remember.

Patience, as they say, is the key to trapping lobsters, especially sometimes under brutal weather conditions. Lobster-men and women are allowed up to 800 traps in the water at any time, in an effort to regulate the over-fishing of lobster. This is in addition to a series of other stipulations that help to maintain a healthy population in the state’s water including, sizing limitations (lobster must be released if they do not fall within of 3 ¼” and 5” in length), fertility (egg-bearing females are returned to the water), as well as the state limiting the amount of commercial licenses available.

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