Guardian -The Gulf of Maine is warming faster than 99% of the world’s waters, rising at three times the global average. That warming has created optimal conditions for lobsters to reproduce and survive into adulthood.
“It’s actually been really positive for us. We’ve seen probably the most favourable environmental conditions for lobsters ever,” said Patrice McCarron, the executive director of the Maine Lobstermen’s Association, which represents more than 1,000 members of the state’s lobster industry.
But while the warming waters have resulted in a lobster bonanza, scientists say climate change will ultimately bring a bust to the boom: As the Gulf of Maine continues to warm , that temperature sweet spot for lobsters will continue to move north. That could result in a similar spike in lobsters in Canada, but leave Maine’s industry broken.
According to a report released earlier this year from the Gulf of Maine Research Institute in Portland, while the lobster population has risen over 500% along Maine’s coast over the past 30 years, the population is expected to drop by between 40% and 62% by 2050.
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