Part of the fleet of fishing boats moored at Pine Point in Scarborough, Maine. In Spring 2012, Lobstermen there and across southern Maine report an earlier shed in the lobster population than they've ever seen, but are unsure what that means for the rest of the season. Mario Moretto / The Forecaster

By Mario Moretto
15 May 2012 SCARBOROUGH – The early arrival of soft-shell lobsters along the southern Maine coast has industry insiders scratching their heads about what the unusual spring landings mean for the rest of the season. At Pine Point, third-generation Scarborough lobsterman Dennis Violette, pulled two big crates full of lobster from his early season catch and picked one out; its shell folded like paper under his hand. “Today we got probably 60, 65 percent soft-shells,” Violette said. “That’s not the norm.” Soft-shells, or “shedders,” have been landing on southern Maine docks for about a month. They don’t normally show up in force until sometime in mid-June or early July, said Tim Staples, manager of the Pine Point Fisherman’s Co-Op. He said some harvesters are bringing in nothing but soft-shells. Lobsters grow by casting off their exoskeletons and replacing them with newer, bigger ones. After shedding, the lobster doesn’t quite fill out its new body, like a child wearing hand-me-downs that are a little too big. It takes time for the lobster to fill out and for its shell to harden. Soft-shell lobsters have less meat per pound and don’t ship well because of their delicate exteriors. Lobstermen get a lower price from wholesalers, who in turn charge consumers less for soft- or new-shelled lobsters than for ones with sturdy hard shells. Violette and other lobster industry insiders – wholesalers, retailers, researchers and policy experts – say they’ve never seen such an early shed, and are unsure what it could mean for the rest of the season. “We’re dealing with something that’s never happened in the historical memory of the lobster industry, with the soft-shells coming this early,” said Matt McAleney, general manager of New Meadows Lobster, a Portland wholesaler. McAleney said it’s not as simple an equation as “more shedders caught now means fewer hard-shells caught later.” There are a lot of variables, he said, and no one can predict what such an early shed means because it’s unprecedented. “There’s so many different factors,” he said. “Have there been more soft-shells than we’ve seen in recent memory? Absolutely. Do we know what means in the future? We have no idea. … I have one lobsterman who is 90 years old, and he’s never seen this. You just don’t know.” McAleney speculated the mild winter caused the early shed. Many factors determine when a lobster will shed, including food supply, availability of shelter and salinity, but temperature is by far the most important. Warmer water means its time to molt. “The lobsters in their little caves don’t have calendars,” McAleney said. “They go by the temperature and how it feels.” […]

Early arrival of soft-shell lobsters perplexes Maine lobster industry