The Lobster Conservancy at Work by Stacy Welner
The Lobster Conservancy (TLC) began its inception through the dedication of Diane Cowan, a scientist, who stumbled across some young Harpswell children ‘playing’ with baby lobsters. Fascinated and knowing she had stumbled across something very unique, Cowan began her research on juvenile lobsters.
TLC’s Juvenile Lobster Monitoring Program (JLMP) was created in 1995 and is a community based research program. TLC helps to connect science and public volunteers of various age groups and backgrounds to scientific research and knowledge with hands-on training and accessible learning. Amy Watson Saxton, TLC board chairman and a volunteering for her 11 year said, “I’ve always been interested in lobsters — my first and only time seeing a baby lobster floating on the water, I was hooked! I wanted to learn as much about lobsters as possible.”
Volunteers learn about all aspects of lobsters and become certified through testing, hands-on training sessions, are provided with a field handbook, and permit to handle lobsters. The volunteers who collect this data include schoolchildren and teachers, lobster fishermen, restaurant staff, directors of the lobstermen’s associations, and many more. The information obtained is accessed to preserve lobster populations. TLC studies the life cycle of a lobster from “egg to plate.”
Volunteers measure health and productivity of lobster ‘nursery’ habitats from April to November at specific locations during the lowest tides. These volunteer scientists monitor lobsters in state designated lobster management zones once a month to sample the abundance and distribution of juveniles. The data collected is used in various techniques to monitor growth rates and survival. Collected information includes logging environmental data such as weather, air temperature, water, substrate, and salinity of the ocean water and is vital in the process, giving TLC new insights into the life cycle of a lobster.
JLMP sites are located in Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts. Most sites are located in Maine, retaining the highest number of active areas in Harpswell where TLC originated. Helping maintain a sustainable lobster resource, there are 23 juvenile lobster sites sampled by more than 100 dedicated citizens volunteering their time in various elements to gather juvenile lobster data.
The volunteers who monitor the sites have been trained and hold a limited license from the Maine Department of Marine Resources (MDMR) to handle undersized lobsters, normally illegal. TLC staff notifies MDMR of monitoring dates, the individuals participating in the research, and the location.
Lobsters found can vary in size. Watson Saxton once found a lobster that was about one shed away from legal size stating, “It was quite shocking to flip that rock over and see this big guy under there, although not much of a threat, he was missing both claws.”
Diane Cowan, through TLC, has worked vigorously to gain the trust of lobstermen up and down the coast, including citizens of fishing communities. The reason for doing this is as the TLC mission states, “....to sustain a thriving lobster fishery through science and community....” which begins with awareness. Watson Saxton said, “The fishermen who have visited my site during a sampling have been amazed by the amount and size of the lobsters found. And many questions tend to arise.”
TLC seeks to build environmental awareness and public stewardship ethic through educational programs, projects for schools, information networks for decision-makers, and media out reach for the general public. “Mainly funded from grants and memberships,” said Watson Saxton, “Any contribution is greatly appreciated. TLC is a frugal organization which concentrates its resources towards science.”
FMI visit www.lobsters.org. To become a volunteer or make a donation, contact The Lobster Conservancy PO Box 235; Friendship, Maine 04547. They can also be contacted via email at: info@lobsters.org or by phone: 207. 832.8224.