An update on the fall lobster fishing season in Maine

Just a quick update on how the fall fishing is going - pretty well, from a Downeast Maine standpoint. The lobsters are starting to pick up, triggering some of the fishermen to "haul back" during the week.

Hauling back refers to hauling the same traps or trawls twice in the same week. Typically, lobster fishermen only haul their traps once per week. That's enough time to let the bait sit and attract the lobsters. After about a week the bait is no longer as effective so the fishermen haul their traps, pick out what lobsters they've caught, put in a fresh bait bag and reset the trap.

In the fall however, when the fishing gets really good, it's often worth the investment (fuel, bait and sternman wages) to take your boat out again towards the end of the week and haul back some of the same traps. The reason for this is that once a trap gets a certain number of lobsters in it, it's less likely to attract more lobsters, regardless of how fresh the bait is. Also, sometimes the lobsters in the trap will start fighting with each other - resulting in lost claws and dead lobsters. Hauling back ensures the lobsters are cleared from the trap before they get a chance to tear each other up and that room is freed up to attract more lobsters.

So it's good news that the fishermen are hauling back their traps. The price of lobster also seems to be picking up a wee bit. When I spoke to my father over the weekend, he said the boat price was $3, $4 and $5. I assume that means $3 per pound for soft shell, $4 per pound for hard shell and $5 per pound for selects (selects are usually lobsters over 2 and 1/2 pounds).