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Seals are one of the enemies of both lobstermen and lobsters.

Lobster Predators

I would be one of the first to say that harbor seals are one of the beautiful creatures I see daily. Watching them with their young early in the year is awesome.

The difficulty in my really liking seals is that I have had days where I have hauled as much as 60 or 70 traps in a row only to find that seals have either reached in and torn the bait bags or completely opened the door to get the bait bag. The losses for the average lobsterman ranges from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars per year from just seals alone. They have been seen surfacing with lobsters still in their mouths and the traps can be damaged as well as the bait and bag stolen.

Shags or cormorants also eat lobsters although I don’t believe in any real quantity. Like seals they are protected, and if you ask most fisherman, they are “overprotected” to a point where they are a negative influence to fish and lobsters. Especially small flounders. I believe one of their favorite foods is small

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flounders but I also see quite a few with small eels.

 

 

The “shags” or cormorants as they are sometimes called eat massive amounts of small fish and have also been seen holding smaller lobsters.

I personally believe the worst predator we have in Maine for lobsters is the Striped Bass or Rock Bass. I do not know the scientific name but no fisherman, even the striper fishermen themselves will deny the fact that a striper of any size will contain lobsters in their stomachs.

I find it humorous that the State of Maine will not permit any sort of season to reduce the numbers because of the recreational fishermen. Lobster is one of if not the largest fishing industry in Maine and we are the breeding ground for the biggest predator the lobster has. Lobstering effect thousands of families statewide as well as providing license and tax revenues. I really would like an answer from a responsible person as to why some limited commercial fishing of this species, just to protect the lobster isn’t allowed. It appears that too many scholars working for the State or the conservationists are not reading the signs. Maine is feeding the striped bass for the sport fishermen in Maine and breeding them so when they go south in the fall they can be caught commercially. There is no real logic in this fishery what so ever. It would be awesome to allow some small amount to be caught and sold to help the lobsterman in slow times and help the lobster which is even more important.

The gannet in the lower right might just well be one of the few allies the lobsterman has. I believe they eat primarily finfish. It is widely known that finfish like mackerel also eat lobster. If a study was done there probably isn’t much that doesn’t eat lobster at one time or another in a lobsters life. Probably more at the early stages but never the less most fish do feed on them.

I put the picture of the gannet here because I think they are pretty. I had one land on my boat, sit by the window for a couple hours one day. They are not afraid of man to any large degree. The gannets normally are only seen outside the islands. The one that was on my boat was way up in the bay. In size I would compare it to the southern pelican.